Tour of Britain 2023

A strong start list heads to a sprint-friendly edition of Great Britain's biggest men's cycling race

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Tour of Britain

Dates 3 Sept - 10 Sept
Race Length 1,264 kms
Race Category Elite Men

Updated: September 1, 2023

Tour of Britain 2023 overview

The Tour of Britain is an eight-day race that offers up a gentler alternative to the Vuelta a España taking place on the continent. Taking place across England and Wales from September 3-10, this year's edition has a sprinter-friendly route that's rounded out with a mouthwatering Queen stage in South Wales.

The stage race's varied terrain typically favours the puncheurs of the peloton, with Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quick Step), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) all getting their hands on the overall title since 2018.

The latter of those stars returns to the race this year, alongside another highly talented multi-disciplinarian in Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers). Also on the startlist is his Spanish teammate Carlos Rodríguez and Irishman Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Tour of Britain 2023 key information

Dates: September 3-10, 2023

Country: Great Britain

Category: 2.Pro

Editions: 18 (as of 2022)

First winner: Mauricio Ardila

Most recent winner: Gonzalo Serrano

Tour of Britain 2023 route

This year's Tour of Britain route is relatively sprinter-friendly, owing to the terrain in Britain, but it heads to Wales for a decisive final day which ramps up the climbing.

Tour of Britain 2023 route

Stage 1: Altrincham → Manchester (163.6km)

Stage 2: Wrexham → Wrexham (109.9km)

Stage 3: Goole → Beverley (154.7km)

Stage 4: Sherwood Forest → Newark-on-Trent (166.6km)

Stage 5: Felixstowe → Felixstowe (192.4km)

Stage 6: Southend-on-Sea → Harlow (146.2km)

Stage 7: Tewkesbury → Gloucester (170.9km)

Stage 8: Margam Country Park → Caerphilly (166.8km)

Tour of Britain 2023 contenders

The combination of many sprinter-friendly stages and a testing Queen stage on the final day of this year's Tour of Britain mean a whole host of riders could find success in England and Wales.

Overall winner in 2021, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) returns to the race as a hot favourite alongside Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers). Both riders could threaten on just about any of the parcours.

Several fastmen will be hoping to scoop up stage victories with Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) and Ethan Vernon (Great Britain) arriving at the race on the back of promising seasons, whilst an out-of-form Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) will hope to challenge too.

Stage 8 includes four category one climbs and will likely decide the overall. Expect the likes of Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Pro Cycling), Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Stephen Williams (Great Britain) and Carlos Verona (Movistar) to come to the fore alongside Pidcock and van Aert.

Tour of Britain 2023 teams

There are five WorldTour teams at this year's edition, with a further six ProTour teams included in the 16-team startlist.

Movistar
Ineos Grenadiers
BORA-hansgrohe
Jumbo-Visma
Team dsm - firmenich
Bingoal WB
Bolton Equities Black Spoke
Equipe Kern Pharma
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
Team Flanders - Baloise
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
Global 6 Cycling
Saint Piran
TDT-Unibet Cycling Team
Trinity Racing
Great Britain

What happened in the Tour of Britain 2022?

The 2022 Tour of Britain was cut short following stage 5 due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Movistar's Gonzalo Serrano was crowned the overall winner ahead of Ineos Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock. The pair matched either other blow-for-blow during the five days of racing that did take place but the Spaniard decisively edged out Pidcock to win stage 4 in Duncombe Park, Helmsley, meaning he was ahead by three bonus seconds when the race was curtailed.

Tour of Britain history

The Tour of Britain has established itself as the leading men’s stage race in Great Britain. The race is now in its 19th year and regularly attracts a mix of WorldTour teams and UK-based squads. The race is often used as a stepping stone and preparation event ahead of the UCI Road World Championships but that element has been taken away by the decision to host the Worlds earlier in the 2023 season. That said, the Tour of Britain is still expected to produce exciting racing between some of the best riders in the world.

In 2022 Gonzalo Serrano (Movistar Team) came out on top to win the overall ahead of the Ineos Grenadiers pairing of Tom Pidcock and Omar Fraile. Other former winners include Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe and former Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins. Sprinter Mark Cavendish currently holds the record for the most Tour of Britain stage wins with 10 victories spanning his long and decorated career.