The world-famous Tour of Britain cycle race is set to return to Nottinghamshire for a fourth time in September 2023.
Robin Hood County has hosted the showpiece event three times since 2017, with the most recent visit taking place last September when a star-studded field raced from West Bridgford to Mansfield.
This year’s race will see Nottinghamshire host the finish of a cross-region shared stage in the first week of September.
Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.com – 08/09/2022 – Cycling – 2022 AJ Bell Tour of Britain – Stage 5: West Bridgeford to Mansfield, England – Jordi Meeus of Team BORA Hansgrohe sprinting to victory with Stanislaw Aniolkowski of Team Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB in second and Tom Pidcock of team INEOS Grenadier in third
Details of the route are yet to be confirmed, but it is expected the county will host more than 60 miles of the stage.
The return of the race to Nottinghamshire last year boosted the local economy by £4.34m in net visitor expenditure – with an impressive 225,000 fans lining the 116-mile route.
County Council Leader, Councillor Ben Bradley MP, says it is a real coup for Nottinghamshire to be in line to host the race for a fourth time.
He said: “Nottinghamshire is a county with a rich sporting heritage, and we are absolutely delighted that the Tour of Britain will once again pass through our towns and villages.
“We have demonstrated on the three previous occasions that we can successfully host what is a truly major event on Britain’s sporting calendar, and I would expect the same in 2023.
“We’re all very excited at the prospect of the Tour returning to Robin Hood County for a fourth time and once again we can’t wait to see our towns and villages awash with the colour as they give the riders and teams a true Nottinghamshire welcome.”
Full details of the Nottinghamshire stage – including the route and finish location – will be announced at a later date.
The modern-day Tour of Britain was launched in 2004 and – apart from the Covid-19 pandemic forcing its cancellation in 2020 – has taken place annually every September over eight days.
It is British cycling’s premier road event and will feature the world’s top teams and riders, alongside the best British-based cyclists, with a field expected to be made up of Tour de France winners, Olympians and world champions.
Live coverage of the race is shown daily in the UK on ITV4, in addition to around the world.
The Tour of Britain is part of the UCI ProSeries, making it one of the most prestigious sporting events in the sport’s global calendar.