Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain cycle race comes to Northampton on 7 September

Superstars of world cycling head to Northampton, as the 20th edition of Britain's biggest professional cycle race, the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men, comes to Northampton for the first time on Saturday 7 September.

18 of the world's top cycling teams, including the likes of double Olympic gold medalist Remco Evenepoel, double world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe (both Soudal Quick-Step) and Olympic mountain biking star Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) all confirmed to be on the start line at the University of Northampton's Waterside Campus, for the penultimate stage of the 2024 Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men.

As well as hosting the free-to-attend professional race, West Northamptonshire Council and the University of Northampton will also be welcoming fans with a range of free events and activities for all the family throughout the day.

University of Northampton

Ahead of stage five fans will be able to watch the preparations of teams with all of the riders being presented to the crowd team-by-team on the podium from 09:50, ahead of the stage start at 11:00.

Before the professional riders take to the roads of West Northamptonshire, the next generation of cycling talent will lead the race away, with under 16 riders from the NCR-Foundation Talent Development Programme heading off just before the start. A national talent programme designed to identify, develop, and confirm a cohort of riders annually onto the Great Britain Cycling Team Academy programmes, in a few years some of these riders could be in the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain.

After the race has departed all of the action will be broadcast on a big screen on the Waterside Campus, and there will be plenty of free activities for fans of all ages to get involved in.

Among the activities will be a climbing wall, Watt Bike challenge, a spin challenge from Trilogy Gym, and rowing machines, while fans who cycle to the race can also have their bikes marked by Northamptonshire Police, and explore stands from West Northamptonshire Council, NLive, and AJ Cycles among others.

The fan village will also include a presence from race title sponsors Lloyds Bank, plus British Cycling partner's Alé Cycling, Vittoria, Ridgeback, and Shimano, with the latter providing free bike safety checks for fans, plus the chance to try food from Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men hospitality partners Gaucho.

Route

The main challenge on the route is a pair of King of the Mountains climbs after Daventry, with the race due to tackle Newnham Hill (11:35 – 11:39) and Bullshill (11:40 – 11:45). The climbs are the final pair of categorised climbs in the 2024 race, meaning whoever holds the blue King of the Mountains jersey at the day's end in Northampton will win the classification, providing they finish the race on Sunday.

Riders will also tackle an intermediate sprint at Holcot (14:02 – 14:39), immediately after the picturesque crossing of the Pittsford Water causeway, where time bonuses and points towards the red Points jersey will be up for grabs to the first five riders.

Finish, Northampton town centre

The finish line on Derngate in Northampton town centre is just a short 15-minute walk away from the University of Northampton via Beckets Park, meaning that spectators have plenty of time to get involved in activities on the Waterside Campus, or make their way into the town centre.

The race comes into Northampton via Abington Park and the Billing Road, with the finish on Derngate expected to be between 14:23 and 15:05, followed by the podium ceremony close by in the town centre.

A range of other events are also taking place in West Northamptonshire that weekend, and more information, including the route map and estimated times of arrival, can be found on the West Northamptonshire Council Tour of Britain webpage.