2021 Tour of Britain

Cycling race

The 2021 Tour of Britain was an eight-stage men's professional road cycling stage race. It was the seventeenth running of the modern version of the Tour of Britain and the 80th British tour in total. The race started on 5 September in Penzance, Cornwall, and finished on 12 September in Aberdeen, Scotland.^[3]

The 2.Pro-category race was initially scheduled to be a part of the inaugural edition of the UCI ProSeries, but after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,^[4] it made its UCI ProSeries debut in 2021, while also still being a part of the 2021 UCI Europe Tour.^[5]

Teams

On 22 April 2021, race organizers announced the first confirmed teams that would be participating in the race, with those being all five British UCI Continental teams and a British national team.^[6] On 10 August 2021, the rest of the invited teams were announced. Seven UCI WorldTeams, four UCI ProTeams, six UCI Continental teams, and the British national team made up the eighteen teams that participated in the race.^[7][8] Arkéa–Samsic, with five riders, was the only team to not enter a full squad of six riders. In total, 107 riders started the race, of which 94 finished.^[9]

UCI WorldTeams

• Deceuninck–Quick-Step
• Ineos Grenadiers
• Israel Start-Up Nation
• Movistar Team
• Team DSM
• Team Jumbo–Visma
• Team Qhubeka NextHash

UCI ProTeams

• Alpecin–Fenix
• Arkéa–Samsic
• Caja Rural–Seguros RGA
• Rally Cycling

UCI Continental Teams

• Canyon dhb SunGod
• Global 6 Cycling
• Ribble Weldtite
• Saint Piran
• SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling
• Trinity Racing

National Teams

• Great Britain

Route

On 17 March 2021, the start and finish venues, along with partial route details, were unveiled, with some of the route from the cancelled 2020 edition carried over to this year's edition. Cornwall made its race debut as it hosted the Grand Départ and the first stage, before the race continued north into Devon for stage 2. Wales then hosted two full stages for the first time in race history. From there, the race entered North West England, as Cheshire hosted stage 5, while stage 6 started in Cumbria and headed east into North East England. The last two stages took place in Scotland, with Hawick and Aberdeen making their race debuts, while Edinburgh was a first-time finish location.^[3][10] On 20 July, the rest of the route was released.^[11][12][13]

Stages

Stage 1

5 September 2021 — Penzance to Bodmin, 180.8 km (112.3 mi)^[14][15][16]

Stage 1

Stage 2

6 September 2021 — Sherford to Exeter, 183.9 km (114.3 mi)^[19][20][21]

Stage 2

Stage 3

7 September 2021 — Llandeilo to National Botanic Garden of Wales, 18.2 km (11.3 mi) (TTT)^[24][25][26]

Stage 4

8 September 2021 — Aberaeron to Great Orme (Llandudno), 210 km (130 mi)^[30][31][32]

Stage 5

9 September 2021 — Alderley Park to Warrington, 152.2 km (94.6 mi)^[35][36][37]

Stage 6

10 September 2021 — Carlisle to Gateshead, 198 km (123 mi)^[40][41][42]

Stage 7

11 September 2021 — Hawick to Edinburgh, 194.8 km (121.0 mi)^[45][46][47]

Stage 8

12 September 2021 — Stonehaven to Aberdeen, 173 km (107 mi)^[50][51][52]

Classification leadership table

• On stage 2, Nils Eekhoff, who was second in the points classification, wore the cyan jersey, because first-placed Wout van Aert wore the blue jersey as the leader of the general classification.
• On stage 2, Max Walker, who was second in the sprints classification, wore the red jersey, because first-placed Jacob Scott wore the green jersey as the leader of the mountains classification. On stage 3, Walker, who dropped down to third, continued to wear the red jersey, in place of first-placed Scott and second-placed Robin Carpenter, who wore the blue jersey as the leader of the general classification.
• On stage 4, Rory Townsend, who was second in the points classification, wore the cyan jersey, because first-placed Ethan Hayter wore the blue jersey as the leader of the general classification.
• On stages 4–8, Robin Carpenter, who was second in the sprints classification, wore the red jersey, because first-placed Jacob Scott wore the green jersey as the leader of the mountains classification.
• On stage 6, Kristian Sbaragli, who was fifth in the points classification, wore the cyan jersey, because first-placed Ethan Hayter wore the blue jersey as the leader of the general classification, second-placed Julian Alaphilippe wore the rainbow jersey as the defending world road race champion, third-placed Wout van Aert wore the Belgian jersey as the defending Belgian road race champion, and fourth-placed Giacomo Nizzolo wore the European jersey as the defending European road race champion.
• On stage 7, Michael Woods, who was fourth in the points classification, wore the cyan jersey, because first-placed Ethan Hayter wore the blue jersey as the leader of the general classification, second-placed Julian Alaphilippe wore the rainbow jersey as the defending world road race champion, and third-placed Wout van Aert wore the Belgian jersey as the defending Belgian road race champion. For the same reason, Gonzalo Serrano wore the cyan jersey on stage 8.

Final classification standings

Jacob Scott, winner of the mountains and sprints classifications, in the green jersey on stage 2

General classification

Points classification

Mountains classification

Sprints classification

Team classification

References

1. Race Manual 2021, p. 4.
2. "ROLL OF HONOR 8th STAGE STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
3. Windsor, Richard (22 April 2021). "Tour of Britain 2021 route: Start and finish locations unveiled for 18th edition". CyclingWeekly. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
4. "Tour of Britain cancelled with planned 2020 route used in 2021". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
5. "Tour of Britain". UCI. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
6. Bull, Nick (22 April 2021). "First teams unveiled for 2021 Tour of Britain". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
7. "Deceuninck-QuickStep, Jumbo-Visma and Alpecin-Fenix confirmed for 2021 Tour of Britain". CyclingNews. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
8. Race Manual 2021, p. 11.
9. "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021 Start List" (PDF). Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
10. Bull, Nick (17 March 2021). "2021 Tour of Britain start and finish venues unveiled". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
11. Ostanek, Daniel (20 July 2021). "2021 Tour of Britain route unveiled". CyclingNews. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
12. "2021 Tour". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
13. Benson, Daniel (3 September 2021). "Tour of Britain 2021: Race Preview". CyclingNews. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
14. "Tour of Britain | Stage One". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
15. Bull, Nick (4 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021: Penzance to Bodmin, stage one preview". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
16. Race Manual 2021, pp. 14–23.
17. Ronald, Issy (5 September 2021). "Tour of Britain: Wout van Aert wins opening stage". CyclingNews. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
18. "05/09/2021 Etape 1 PENZANCE TO BODMIN 180.8 km" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
19. "Tour of Britain | Stage Two". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
20. Bull, Nick (5 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021: Sherford to Exeter, stage two preview". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
21. Race Manual 2021, pp. 24–33.
22. Ostanek, Daniel (6 September 2021). "Tour of Britain: Robin Carpenter wins stage 2 in Exeter". CyclingNews. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
23. "06/09/2021 Etape 2 SHERFORD TO EXETER 183.9 km" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
24. "Tour of Britain | Stage Three". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
25. Bull, Nick (7 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain: Carmarthenshire team time trial start times". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
26. Race Manual 2021, pp. 34–41.
27. Fletcher, Patrick (7 September 2021). "Tour of Britain: Ineos Grenadiers win team time trial". CyclingNews. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
28. "STAGE CLASSIFICATION 3 CARMARTHENSHIRE TEAM TIME TRIAL" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
29. "GENERAL CLASSIFICATION 3 CARMARTHENSHIRE TEAM TIME TRIAL" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
30. "Tour of Britain | Stage Four". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
31. Bull, Nick (8 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021: Aberaeron to Great Orme, stage four preview". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
32. Race Manual 2021, pp. 42–49.
33. "Tour of Britain: Van Aert beats Alaphilippe to win stage 4 at Great Orme". CyclingNews. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
34. "08/09/2021 Etape 4 ABERAERON TO GREAT ORME, LLANDUDNO 210 km" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
35. "Tour of Britain | Stage Five". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
36. Bull, Nick (8 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021: Alderley Park to Warrington, stage five preview". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
37. Race Manual 2021, pp. 50–57.
38. Fletcher, Patrick (9 September 2021). "Tour of Britain: Hayter wins amid sprint chaos on stage 5". CyclingNews. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
39. "09/09/2021 Etape 5 ALDERLEY PARK TO WARRINGTON 152.2 km" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 9 September 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
40. "Tour of Britain | Stage Six". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
41. Bull, Nick (9 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021: Carlisle to Gateshead, stage six preview". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
42. Race Manual 2021, pp. 58–65.
43. "Tour of Britain: Wout van Aert wins stage 6". CyclingNews. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
44. "10/09/2021 Etape 6 CARLISLE TO GATESHEAD 198 km" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
45. "Tour of Britain | Stage Seven". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
46. Bull, Nick (10 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021: Hawick to Edinburgh, stage seven preview". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
47. Race Manual 2021, pp. 66–73.
48. Weislo, Laura (11 September 2021). "Tour of Britain: Lampaert wins from breakaway on stage 7". CyclingNews. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
49. "11/09/2021 Etape 7 HAWICK TO EDINBURGH 194.8 km" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
50. "Tour of Britain | Stage Eight". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
51. Bull, Nick (11 September 2021). "AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2021: Stonehaven to Aberdeen, stage eight preview". Tour of Britain. SweetSpot Group Limited. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
52. Race Manual 2021, pp. 74–81.
53. Benson, Daniel (12 September 2021). "Tour of Britain: Van Aert snatches overall victory with final stage win". CyclingNews. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
54. "CLASSEMENT DE L'ETAPE / STAGE CLASSIFICATION 8 STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
55. "CLASSEMENT GENERAL / GENERAL CLASSIFICATION 8 STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
56. "POINTS CLASSIFICATION 8 STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
57. "KING OF MOUNTAINS 8 STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
58. "SPRINTS CLASSIFICATION 8 STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
59. "TEAM CLASSIFICATION 8 STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN" (PDF). Tour of Britain. Matsport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

Sources

• Tour of Britain Race Manual. SweetSpot Group Limited. 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

External links

• Official website