Tour of Britain stage 5 Cheshire and Warrington route

Appleton Thorn, Stockton Heath, Latchford, Westy, Padgate and Orford will be at the heart of the riders' entry into the town centre before an anticipated spectacular sprint finish at the Golden Gates in Sankey Street.

Stage 5 on Thursday, September 9, will start with an anti-clockwise tour of Cheshire East, combining Holmes Chapel, Congleton, Macclesfield and Wilmslow along with several climbs of the Cheshire Peak District before heading into Warrington.

Maps: Google My Maps

Rescheduled to 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 17th edition of the UK’s most prestigious cycling stage race starts on Sunday, September 5 in Cornwall and finishes a week later in Scotland – covering 820 miles of racing.

Clr Russ Bowden, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “Excitement continues to grow for the Tour of Britain 2021 and it’s fantastic to see the plans falling into place and the route being unveiled to the public.

“We believe hosting stage five of the race brings many opportunities – bringing new visitors to our town, celebrating sporting excellence and showcasing the very best of Warrington.

“These latest announcements demonstrate once again the specular route for this year’s Tour of Britain. I am very proud that Warrington is part of this providing us with major prestigious addition to our sporting calendar for everyone to enjoy.”

Clr Hans Mundry sees great benefits for the town, too.

The cabinet member for transportation, highways and public realm, added: “We’ve set out our clear ambitions through our local transport plan to reduce car reliance and build sustainable transport into all aspects of life in Warrington.

“This includes major investment in our cycling infrastructure to encourage many more people to move around the town on a bike. The Tour of Britain gives us a fantastic opportunity to inspire many more people to take up cycling and to show the huge benefits it can bring – as a sport, as a hobby or simply as a fantastic sustainable mode of transport.”

And Clr Paul Warburton, cabinet member for statutory health and adult social care, wants there to be a legacy from the Tour's visit to Warrington.

He said: “Everybody knows the reputation of the Tour of Britain as UK’s cycling most prestigious event, watched by spectators from all over the world. However what’s equally important is the event's focus on communities, including working with local people and school children to understand the huge health benefits cycling can bring.

“We will be maximising this impact to encourage people to get active and build cycling into their everyday lives. The huge health and wellbeing benefits this will bring will be an important legacy of Warrington hosting this event.”

2021 Tour of Britain Stages:

Stage One: Sunday 5 September, Penzance to Bodmin, 180.8km

Stage Two: Monday 6 September, Sherford to Exeter, 184km

Stage Three: Tuesday 7 September, Carmarthenshire team time trial, 27.5km

Stage Four: Wednesday 8 September, Aberaeron to Great Orme, Llandudno, 209.7km

Stage Five: Thursday 9 September, Cheshire to Warrington, 152km

Stage Six: Friday 10 September, Carlisle to Gateshead, 192.7km

Stage Seven: Saturday 11 September, Hawick to Edinburgh, 194.7km

Stage Eight: Sunday 12 September, Stonehaven to Aberdeen, 173km

The Tour of Britain was relaunched in 2004 after a five-year absence from the calendar.

It is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, held annually across eight days in September.

The free-to-watch sporting spectacular features Olympic, world and Tour de France champions, and attracts a roadside audience of over 1.5m spectators.

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.