UK’s most prestigious cycle race to sprint through Greater Manchester

The Tour of Britain returns to Greater Manchester on Sunday, 3 September 2023, and we will see sixteen of the world’s leading teams.

Riders such as Tour de France champions Jumbo – Visma and home fan favourites INEOS Grenadiers will be riding Altrincham to Manchester and taking a less direct route via some of the hilliest and most picturesque places in Greater Manchester.

The race enters Stockport 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 route can be found here.

The 2023 race starts in Greater Manchester and culminates eight days later in South Wales. Along the way, riders will race through North Wales, East Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk, Essex, and Gloucestershire.

Two of the five UCI WorldTeams will take the start in the 19th edition of the UK’s most prestigious race. 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.

Councillor 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.”

INEOS Grenadiers, the second most successful team in modern race history, will look to go one better than the previous two editions of the Tour, in which British stars Ethan Hayter (2021) and Olympic champion Tom Pidcock (2022) finished as runners-up.

The return of Jumbo – Visma to the race will further whet the appetite, given the Dutch team have won the Tour of Britain on three occasions – twice with Lars Boom (2011, 2017) and once with Belgian star Wout Van Aert (2021). The team also sits fourth in the all-time list of stage wins, having had their riders cross the line first on 14 occasions.

The Tour of Britain has an illustrious list of former winners, including two-time world champion Julian Alahpillipe (2018), Dutch fan favourite Mathieu van der Poel (2019), and Belgian star Wout Van Aert (2021).

Since 2016, the race has been watched by an average of 1.3m roadside spectators and has generated £27.6m 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!”

ITV4 will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage and nightly highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch wherever they are. The race will also be shown in over 150 countries worldwide, thanks to the event’s partnerships with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network.

Visit SportsBreaks.com/Cycling and destinationsportexperiences.com/Cycling/Hospitality for race day hospitality packages offering guaranteed prime views of stage starts and finishes and unforgettable experiences featuring Tour de France stage winner Dan Martin.