Liverpool selected for Tour of Britain 'Grand Depart'

City will host the opening stage of September's Tour for the first time

Agency
Monday 31 March 2014 04:03 EDT
Comments
Sir Bradley Wiggins at the start line of stage 8 on the Tour of Britain
Sir Bradley Wiggins at the start line of stage 8 on the Tour of Britain (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Tour of Britain will start in Liverpool for the first time, race organisers announced on Monday.

The 'Grand Depart' opening stage on September 7 will see riders tackle 10 laps of a 13-kilometre circuit, starting and finishing on The Strand in the city centre, close to the Royal Liver Building.

Liverpool has featured in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 tours, but has never previously been the launch point for the eight-day race.

Ahead of Monday evening's unveiling of the full race route, race director Mick Bennett said: "We are delighted that this year's Tour of Britain can start with such a prestigious stage in the centre of Liverpool.

"The opening circuit will be perfectly suited to the sprinters, and whoever wins stage one will pull on the first yellow jersey of 2014.

"With the support of Liverpool City Council we are looking forward to making this year's Grand Depart a memorable occasion for cycling fans."

Liverpool's assistant mayor, councillor Wendy Simon, said: "This is a huge coup for the city. It's wonderful news that this world famous sporting event will begin in Liverpool.

"This race attracts some of the best riders from across the globe with previous races featuring elite cyclists such as Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome.

"There's a real momentum building for cycling in this city."

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in