Guildford High Street To Be A Tour of Britain Finish Line Again

Published on: 21 Mar, 2013
Updated on: 21 Mar, 2013

That sweet moment of victory! – Photo Angela Gunning (click to enlarge)

That sweet moment of victory last year for stage winner Mark Cavendish – caught on camera by Angela Gunning

Guildford High Street will once again be the finishing line for a stage of the Tour of Britain. It will be the the end point of the penultimate stage when the bike race sweeps the UK this September.

Surrey County Council has revealed that the 96 mile stage will take place on Saturday, September 21, starting in Epsom and finishing in a final climb up Guildford High Street.

The rider line up has not yet been announced but previous competitors include former world champion and Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish and Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins.

This year’s Surrey stage is even tougher than 2012 with daunting climbs over the first half of the race before some flat-out sprints in the run up to Guildford. The King of the Mountain climbs and sprint locations will be announced in May.

John Furey, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member of Transport and Environment, said: “This will be the second year running Surrey has welcomed the Tour of Britain and once again the bone juddering Guildford High Street will prove a scintillating finish for both riders and spectators.

The ‘bone juddering’ ascent of Guildford High Street

“We proved last year with the Olympic cycle races and the Tour of Britain that Surrey is adept at hosting high profile sporting events. There is a huge appetite for cycling in Surrey and I have no doubt our county will be the highlight of the Tour. Record numbers in the event’s history turned out in Surrey last year, some 225,000.”

The Surrey stage of The Tour of Britain 2013 is sponsored by Welmede, Tarmac UK and Foxhills.

Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of The Tour of Britain, added: “As a Surrey based company we are delighted to once again have a home stage, particularly one with such an iconic finish as Guildford. Surrey will once again provide a perfect backdrop for the Tour as it draws towards the conclusion of the 2013 race.”

Last year’s Tour of Britain generated almost £7.2 million for Surrey’s economy and was watched by almost one million television viewers on each of the event’s eight days. This year’s race will again be televised.

The Tour of Britain 2013 will begin in Scotland on 15 September and end in London seven days later on Sunday, September 22. Further UK-wide details can be found here.

The Surrey stage will pass through the towns and villages including Epsom, Leatherhead, East Horsley, Dorking, Holmbury St Mary, Cranleigh, Shere, Send, Woking, Ottershaw, Chobham, Knaphill, Normandy, Elstead, Churt, Farnham and Guildford.