Milton Keynes route announced for world's top cyclists in Lloyds Tour of Britain
The route that the world’s top cyclists will race when the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men comes to Milton Keynes has been announced
The race is the largest free-to-attend sporting spectacle in the UK and stage three will start in MK on Thursday September 4.
The 122.8-kilometre (76.4-mile) leg will run from Milton Keynes to Ampthill, taking in Woburn, Toddington, Barton-le-Clay, and Shefford, with a spectator- friendly double-loop around Northill and Old Warden.
It will get underway from Milton Keynes’ Midsummer Boulevard at 11:30am, where the council had promised to provide special activities to entertain spectators of all ages.
Then the cyclists will cross Campbell Park before heading south on grid roads, leaving the H7 Chaffron Way for a long stretch on the V10 Brickhill Street, passing the Open University headquarters and the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One technology campus before racing to Woburn Sands and on into Central Bedfordshire.
The stage finishes in Ampthill town centre at around 2:40pm.
The race uses what’s known as ‘rolling road closures’ where roads close for a very short amount of time when the race passes through, minimising any dangers to athletes, officials, spectators and local people.
Deputy leader of Milton Keynes City Council, Cllr 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.
She added: "We look forward to welcoming people from across the city and beyond to cheer on the riders and be part of the day.”
The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins on Tuesday September 3 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 challenging stages in Warwickshire and goes through to south Wales before the final leg between the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport to the Welsh capital, Cardiff, on Sunday September 7.