Herefordshire to welcome OVO Energy Tour of Britain this September

This September will see the world's top professional cyclists racing through Herefordshire, as the OVO Energy Tour of Britain races through the county, taking in Ledbury, Dormington, Mordiford, Holme Lacy and St. Weonards.

Britain's biggest professional cycling race will pass through Herefordshire on Sunday 10 September, as the final stage of the eight-day event heads from Worcester to the overall finish in Cardiff.

54-kilometres of the 180-kilometre stage will be in Herefordshire, a distance the professionals are expected to cover in around 75-minutes with the route marshalled using a rolling road closure, keeping disruption to a minimum.

The race will enter the county from Worcestershire after a challenging climb of the Malvern Hills, heading to Ledbury on the A449 before the A439/A438 in the direction of Hereford.  The stage will skirt to the south of Hereford via Holme Lacy and then south on the A446 towards the Welsh border.

Ledbury will also be the location of one of three intermediate Eisberg Sprints on the stage route, where riders compete for bonus seconds and points towards the red Eisberg Sprint Jersey.  The sprint will take place on the B4214/The Homend in Ledbury at around Midday.

Councillor Paul Rone, Herefordshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Roads, said:
"Herefordshire Council is pleased to welcome the OVO Energy Tour of Britain to our beautiful county as the elite cyclists complete the 180-kilometre long final stage from Worcester to Cardiff. This is one of the biggest sporting events to come to the county, and we look forward to showcasing our stunning Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty – that of the Malverns and the Wye Valley - as the tour passes through. There will be little to no inconvenience to the people of the county, and we would encourage everyone to support the event, especially the excitement of the Ledbury sprint."

A series of rolling road closures will guide the Tour, which will feature 20-teams of six riders, along its entire length, with roads being closed around 15-to-20-minutes ahead of the peloton, and re-opening as soon as the final vehicles in the convoy have passed through.

Full details of the Stage Eight route, including detailed timings, can be found on the race website here www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/stage-eight

OVO Energy, the UK's top rated independent energy supplier was announced as the title sponsor of the Tour of Britain at the end of April.

The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling's premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world's best teams and riders competing on their door step, taking place between Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 September 2017.