The OVO Energy Tour of Britain, the UK’s biggest professional cycle race, will head through North Tyneside as the North of Tyne hosts the third stage of the race on Monday 9 September.
Stage Three will see the world’s top riders and teams contesting a 182-kilometre (114-mile) route from Berwick-upon-Tweed, heading along the North Tyneside coast through Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and North Shields and into Wallsend, before continuing to Newcastle Upon Tyne city centre, with a spectacular finish on Grey Street.
It will be the first ever OVO Energy Tour of Britain stage to link all of the areas of the North of Tyne Combined Authority, with the route taking in Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, Norma Redfearn CBE, said: “I am delighted that this prestigious race will be coming through our area – this is a wonderful way to support our own efforts to get more families involved in cycling, and I look forward to welcoming all the riders and spectators to our fantastic borough when the race passes through.”
North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll said: “This is great news – I’m really looking forward to the Tour of Britain coming to the North of Tyne.
“The Northumberland coastline is the perfect setting for a long distance cycle race, and as the riders make their way into Wallsend, the tension will build and we’ll be able to support the riders. And the finish in Grey Street will be really exciting!
“We’ll be working with schools, sports clubs, and local businesses to make sure everyone benefits from hosting this here, in the North of Tyne. There’s the boost to our tourist businesses, of course, and it’s a great opportunity to enthuse people about cycling and the health and environmental benefits it brings.”
Northumberland has twice before hosted stages of the race, in 2015 and 2017, while it will be the first visit for the OVO Energy Tour of Britain to Newcastle in a decade, with the race having last visited the city in 2009.
The stage will start from the centre of Berwick-upon-Tweed, crossing the Grade I listed Berwick Bridge as the race heads away along the Tweed Valley and onto Ford and Wooler. The route will race along the Northumberland Coast, including past Bamburgh and Warkworth castles, showcasing the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty through the worldwide television coverage.
Following the success of previous Northumberland stages that witnessed large crowds for the race across the county, Alnwick, Morpeth, Bedlington and Cramlington will feature before the route heads into North Tyneside through Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, North Shields and Wallsend.
The final kilometres will see the race heading alongside the banks of the River Tyne on the Quayside, before the final turn on to Dean Street and Grey Street for a spectacular city centre finish.
Stage Three will feature three SKODA King of the Mountains climbs, backed by the race’s official car partner SKODA, at Ford Common, Belford Moor and outside Longhoughton.
Three intermediate Eisberg Sprints, supported by the UK’s number one alcohol-free wine brand, will also feature on the route at Seahouses, Warkworth and Seaton Delaval.
Sports fans in the North East will have an additional bonus as Stage Four of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain begins the following day from Gateshead’s South Shore Road on Tuesday 10 September.
The 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain begins in Glasgow on Saturday 7 September, finishing eight days later in Manchester city centre on Saturday 14 September. ITV4 will once again screen live free-to-air coverage of each stage, along with a nightly highlights programme of the best of the action.
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep and helping to build a great cycling nation.
For further information, please see the North of Tyne Tour of Britain website
