Cycling tour to return to Stockport

Sixteen of the world’s leading cycling teams will sprint through the borough when the Tour of Britain passes through Stockport in September.

Tour de France champions Jumbo – Visma, and home fan favourites INEOS Grenadiers are among those set to pass through Woodford, Bramhall, Marple and Hazel Grove on 3rd September for the first stage of the race.

The race forms part of the Town of Culture events and enters the borough at approximately 11:30 am via Woodford and Bramhall, travelling along Jacksons Lane and sprinting through Hazel Grove, leaving the borough at Marple before continuing onto Tameside. The full day’s cycling takes in all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, starting in Altrincham and spiralling around the city-region before finishing on Deansgate in Manchester City Centre. The Tour will continue on to take in North Wales, East Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk, Essex, and Gloucestershire, before a final stage in South Wales, ending with the legendary Caerphilly Mountain climb.

Cllr Frankie Singleton, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture & Sport, said:

“Residents can watch all the action and soak up the atmosphere by the roadside for free. The Tour of Britain truly is a fantastic and exciting sporting spectacle, and we hope it will inspire the people of Stockport to get on their bikes and take advantage of the great cycling facilities and routes we have in the borough.”

A predicted 1.5 million spectators are expected to watch these teams in action at this year’s race, capitalising on the free-to-attend nature of the event. Since 2016, the race has been watched by an average of 1.3 million roadside spectators and has generated £27.6 million of yearly net economic benefit for the UK economy, according to research by Frontline.

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director, said:

“We’ve assembled a really exciting and eclectic mix of teams for this year’s Tour of Britain. From Movistar, the team of defending champion Gonzalo Serrano, and the world’s number two and three-ranked squads to some of the sport’s most promising up-and-coming outfits, we’re counting down the days until they begin racing on British roads!”