Officials have today marked a year to go until the Tour of Britain gets underway in Penzance by confirming more details of the route for the first ever visit of the race to Cornwall.

Cornwall will now host the Tour of Britain for the first time on Sunday, September 5, 2021 with a 183 kilometre (113.5 mile) opening stage from Penzance to Bodmin.

The event had been due to take place this year but was postponed by 12 months due to the pandemic.

The route will take in many of the rural and coastal landscapes of Cornwall, as well as visiting historic towns including St Just, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Pool, Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, Newquay and St Austell.

The stage will feature three ŠKODA King of the Mountains climbs, the first two of these coming on the West Cornwall Coast Road at Zennor and then Rosewall Hill just before St Ives.

The third and final categorised ŠKODA King of the Mountains point will be in the village of Carnon Downs, atop Old Carnon Hill.

Falmouth Packet:

A map showing the route for the first stage of the Tour of Britain in Cornwall

Councillor Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for culture, economy and planning, said: “Having the Tour of Britain in Cornwall offers us a chance to show our wonderful corner of the world off to a global audience and will provide even more reasons for visitors to come here and add a much-needed boost for our towns and our tourist industry next year.

“We will also work to ensure we create a long term legacy from the event by raising the profile of cycling in Cornwall and motivating more people to cycle and lead healthier and active lives.”

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Penzance mayor Nicole Broadhurst agreed: “It gives us a chance to showcase Penzance on an international stage and officially celebrate the re-opening of our iconic Victorian promenade, which residents and visitors to the town have enjoyed for generations."

The Tour of Britain stage will be the largest free national sporting event ever hosted by the Duchy, with live television coverage broadcast in the UK and around the world. It is estimated to bring more than £3 million to the Cornish economy from hosting it.

Hugh Roberts, managing director of organisers SweetSpot, said: “This is without a doubt the most highly anticipated Grand Depart of all for the Tour of Britain."

Joining the launch event in Penzance were elite Cornish cyclists Steve Lampier from Helston and Chris Opie from Truro, both members of Saint Piran Pro Cycling who have raced in the Tour of Britain in the past.

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“The Tour of Britain starting in Cornwall is a childhood dream,” said Steve. “It will be the biggest sporting event to have come to the county and will showcase everything that is great about Cornwall.

“It was so unfortunate that the race couldn’t be held this year, but that just means we’re looking forward to 2021 even more. At least we as Saint Piran can get a second bite at the cherry and all being well get to race it with Chris Opie for a Cornish team on home roads.”

The 2021 Tour of Britain is due to take place between Sunday, September 5 and Sunday, September 13, finishing in the city of Aberdeen.

Full details of the 2021 Tour of Britain race route will be announced later in the year while detailed timings and locations of the intermediate Sprints for the Cornwall stage will be announced in the spring of 2021.

The route

From Penzance Promenade the route will head across the Penwith Peninsula to St Just, hugging the coast to St Ives, Hayle and Gwithian before turning inland to Camborne, Pool and Redruth.

The route passes the beaches of Falmouth and Pendennis Point, offering views across Falmouth Bay, before heading towards Penryn and on to the city of Truro.

Truro Cathedral will be clearly visible from the route through the city, which then crosses back to the north coast to take in Newquay and Newquay Bay.

Having passed through the centre of St Austell, the Tour of Britain will visit the world famous Eden Project, with its twin biomes in a reclaimed china clay pit forming the backdrop.

The race enters the closing kilometres to Bodmin with the inaugural Cornwall stage finishing outside the historic Bodmin Keep in the town, with a 700 metre uphill drag to the line with an average of four per cent.