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Thursday 4 September will see stage 3 of Britain’s biggest professional cycle race coming to the region, for a 122.8-kilometre (76.4-mile) leg from Milton Keynes to Ampthill, that will take in Woburn, Toddington, Barton-le-Clay, and Shefford, and include a spectator friendly double-loop around Northill and Old Warden.
Deputy Leader of Milton Keynes City Council, Councillor Lauren Townsend, said:
We’re proud to be hosting the start of this major stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men here in Milton Keynes. Working with our partners, we’re putting together an exciting programme, from fantastic cycling activities to family-friendly events, with something for all ages to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming people from across the city and beyond to cheer on the riders and be part of the day.
Councillor Adam Zerny, Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, added:
The Lloyds Tour of Britain cycling race means the chance to watch top level international sport come right past your front door. We know how excited local residents are about hosting the event, and we see this as a great chance to showcase our picturesque villages and countryside. The energy and spirit of our communities, will complement the passion and pace of this lightning-quick road race.
Stage 3 will get underway from Milton Keynes’ Midsummer Boulevard at 11:30am, passing alongside and then crossing the grade 2 listed Campbell Park in the neutralised section, before leaving the city through Caldecotte, and passing the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One team’s technology campus and factory, shortly before racing begins.
After racing through historical Woburn Sands, the race enters Central Bedfordshire, crossing Woburn Abbey Deer Park and on to Toddington, before turning east after Chalton, to Streatley and Barton-le-Clay, passing the ancient woodland and chalk escarpment at Sharpenhoe.
The stage will complete a lap and a half of a 30-kilometre loop east of Biggleswade, giving spectators at the intermediate sprint outside Northill, and the day’s categorised king of the mountains climb at Hillfoot near Old Warden, the chance to see the race twice.
From the second ascent of the 700-metre, 5.2% average climb, just 16 kilometres of racing lie before the finish line, which will see riders sprinting through Ampthill town centre, and along Woburn Street, to the finish on Woburn Road, at around 2:40pm.
Commenting on the announcement of the detailed routes, Jonathan Day, Managing Director for British Cycling Events, said:
This is the news that fans have been looking forward to, and with a month to go until the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men gets underway, we are delighted to be sharing the exciting detail of all six routes.
Following the announcement of the fantastic line-up of teams for the race, fans can now start planning exactly where they will be watching their heroes and cheering them on in September. We have worked hard with our stakeholders across all six stages to create this great route that will build to a real climax as we reach Wales, with the racing for the green jersey sure to go all the way down to the finish line on North Road in Cardiff.
The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins on Tuesday 2 September with a pair of stages in Suffolk, the first from Woodbridge to Southwold, before a leg starting and finishing in Stowmarket.
Following the Milton Keynes to Ampthill stage, the race features a challenging Warwickshire stage ending in a hilltop finish at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, and a brace of stages in south Wales, the first including a double ascent of The Tumble, before a final stage between the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport to the Welsh capital, Cardiff, on Sunday 7 September.
Find out more about stage 3 of the race on British Cycling's website.