Or to put it more correctly, watch out for Sir Bradley Wiggins as the Tour of Britain cycle race is returns to Devon for stage 5 on Thursday 11th September. Sir Bradley will defend his Tour of Britain title after being named as the leader of Team Sky’s squad for the eight-stage event.
The Tour of Britain is the UK's biggest professional cycle race, with some twenty teams competing. Stage 5 starts in Exmouth at 11am, winds and climbs its way right across Dartmoor, then heads up to Okehampton, before the pedal pushers turn for home and the finishing line in Exeter. The near circular route means there’s a great opportunity for spectators to watch the both the start and the finish of this great race, with many of Europe’s and indeed the world’s finest cyclists taking part as the leading teams battle it out for sprint, climb and line honours. The Exe Estuary Trail (a cyclepath and walkway constructed by Devon County Council as part of the National Cycle Network Route 2 ) links Exmouth and Exeter so spectators will be able to cycle to Exeter in good time to see the frantic sprint for the finishing line.
The tour is the country's largest free-to-spectate sporting event, and there are plenty of excellent spots to locate yourself along the route - see this ETA Guide for approximate timings so you can plan your day and pick your spot accordingly. See this spectating guide for details of fixed road closures in place at the start (Exmouth) and finish (Exeter) locations and rolling road closures all along the route of the stage.
After Devon the tour moves east along the south coast before heading into London for the final stage on 14 September.
If you happen to catch the tour flying by and manage to take any snaps, do post them to our Facebook page, we'd love to see them!
---
Photo credit: Robert King
