Tour of Britain coming through Dorchester, Dorset
We are counting down the days until the Tour of Britain comes to Dorset!
Tour of Britain is the UK’s biggest professional cycle race and the country’s largest free-to-spectate live sporting event. The Tour attracts the world’s top cyclists to race against home stars on British roads over eight days and eight stages.
The free-to-watch sporting spectacular features Olympic, world and Tour de France champions, and normally attracts a roadside audience of over 1.5m spectators. Live coverage of the race is shown daily in the UK on ITV4, in addition to around the world.
10th September is the big day when the peleton, made up of hundred of professional road cyclists from around the world, will be racing through Dorchester at midday.
You can see the full timetable for stage 7, the Dorset stage of the Tour of Britain, here
The riders will enter Dorchester via Herringston Road, pass Maumbury Rings and Borough Gardens before turning right at Top O’ Town and the Thomas Hardy Statue onto High West Street. At the bottom of High West Street the riders will turn right and pass Kings Road park, onto Icen Way and Sotuh Walks Road (past the Elizabeth Frink’s Dorchester Martyrs Statue), along Prince of Wales Road out to National Trust’s Max Gate and on to Broadmayne.
You can see the full route that the cyclists will take through Dorset here (zoom in to see the Dorchester section in detail)
Dorchester is hosting a sprint stage along High West Street which will be very exciting.
This is where riders get the chance to earn points towards the Sprint Jersey and also bonus seconds to be taken off their overall race time.
Sprints are very popular parts of the Tour of Britain and are a great place for spectators to cheer on the riders. Be sure to get there early for a good position to watch the riders as they cycle through.
There are many cafes, pubs and restaurants in Dorchester where you can get something to eat or drink before and after the race.
Dorchester is a brilliant base for a weekend of road cycling in Dorset. It is the county town of Dorset and very central meaning that, from Dorchester, you can ride north to the spectacular hillforts, south to the Jurassic Coastal hill climbs and East -West along the South Dorset Ridgeway. Dorchester is stunning scenery and challenging hill climbs to get your heart pumping.
Dorchester also has brilliant restaurants, pubs and coffee shops to enjoy before or after your ride.
Help Dorchester win the Tour of Britain National Land Art Competition
Dorchester is taking part in the The Tour of Britain’s National Land Art competition! For this we need your help to create a giant spinning bike wheel that will be seen by helicopters and film crew following the Tour of Britain through Dorchester.
To make the giant spinning bike wheel we need LOADS of bikes and lots willing volunteers to grab hold of a material spoke to “spin the wheel”.
We are doing the land art at Kings Road Park and the cyclists will be passing right by Kings Road so you can’t miss them!
See you at 11 am at Kings Road Park with your bike! Let’s win this competition!