The locations of the ŠKODA King of the Mountains and sprint points for the Scottish Borders stage of this year’s Tour of Britain, the UK’s most prestigious cycle race, have been revealed.
Ninth visit to the Scottish Borders
The Tour is returning to the Scottish Borders for the ninth occasion since its first visit in 2009 with stage two taking place on Monday 5 September.
And this year’s Borders stage looks set for a thrilling finish with all three ŠKODA King of the Mountains climbs coming in the final 30 kilometres of racing to Duns, with the last of those at Hardens Hill topping out just six kilometres from the finish line.
Before that riders will tackle Wanside Rigg above Whiteadder reservoir in the Lammermuir Hills and Mainslaughter Hill in quick succession, setting up what should be a thrilling finish in Duns.
The three sprints come earlier in the stage and will take place in the village of Morebattle, the centre of Coldstream, and just after crossing the A1 at Reston.
As well as serving as popular viewing locations for spectators, the points on offer at each location go towards determining the outcome of the hotly-contested ŠKODA King of the Mountains (KoM) and sprint jerseys.
Councillor Scott Hamilton, Executive Member for Community and Business Development
“It is wonderful for the Scottish Borders to once again host a whole stage of the Tour of Britain and we look forward to welcoming back some of the world’s top road cyclists to the region.
“From previous stages in the area we know that this event brings out thousands of people along the route and in the start and finish locations and no doubt that will be the same again this year. This provides a genuine economic boost to the area and I am particularly pleased that we’ve been able to take a large part of the route and the stage finish to Berwickshire this year.”
Route details
Alongside the additional route information, timings for the stage have also been confirmed, with stage two due to start from Hawick’s North Bridge Street at 11am on Monday 5 September.
The 175-kilometre (108-mile) stage is expected to finish on Newtown Street in Duns between 3pm and 3.50pm
An interactive maps and full timetable for the Scottish Borders stage is available on the Tour of Britain website.
The points on offer at the ŠKODA King of the Mountains locations is dependent on the severity of the climb: category one peaks offer 10 points for the winner down to one for the 10th-placed finisher, while category three climbs have four, three, two and one point up for grabs.
Former winners of the jersey include 2010 Tour de France champion Andy Schleck (2006) and Grand Tour stage winner Thomas De Gendt (2009). Britain’s Jacob Scott (Wiv SunGod) has won the competition in the past two editions of the race (2019 and 2021).
The prizes on offer at each sprint remain consistent throughout the race: three, two and one point are awarded to the leading trio across the line, all of which go towards the sprints classification. Those riders will also receive bonus seconds of the same denomination.
This competition also features an equally-illustrious roll of honour, with British cycling legend Mark Cavendish (2007) and two-time Tour of Britain champion Edvald Boasson Hagen (2008) among its previous winners. Scott, who hails from Holmfirth in West Yorkshire, is also the defending champion in this competition.
World's best set to take part
Last year's star-studded race was won by Belgian rider Wout Van Aert (Team Jumbo – Visma), with reigning world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe finishing third overall. According to research by Frontline, a roadside crowd of over one million spectators resulted in the Tour of Britain generating £29.96m of net economic benefit for the UK economy.
The 2022 race starts in Aberdeen city centre and finishes eight days later on the Isle of Wight. Along the way riders will tackle stages in the Scottish Borders, North East England, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset.
Six teams – a Great British national squad, the country’s four leading domestic squads (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, Saint Piran, TRINITY Racing and Wiv SunGod) and Team Qhubeka – are confirmed to race, with the remaining squads to be announced shortly.
ITV4 will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage and nightly highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch wherever they are. The race will also be shown in over 150 countries worldwide, thanks to the event's partnerships with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network.
While spectators can watch all the action by the roadside for free, race day hospitality packages offering guaranteed prime views of stage starts and finishes, as well as unforgettable experiences featuring Tour de France stage winner Dan Martin are now available.
About the Tour of Britain
Stages
- Stage one Sunday 4 September Aberdeen to Glenshee Ski Centre
- Stage two Monday 5 September Hawick to Duns
- Stage three Tuesday 6 September Durham to Sunderland
- Stage four Wednesday 7 September Redcar to Duncombe Park, Helmsley
- Stage five Thursday 8 September West Bridgford to Mansfield
- Stage six Friday 9 September Tewkesbury to Gloucester
- Stage seven Saturday 10 September West Bay to Ferndown
- Stage eight Sunday 11 September Ryde to The Needles
History
Relaunched in 2004 after a five-year absence from the calendar, the Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, held annually across eight days in September.
Global audience
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.
Social media
Follow the Tour of Britain on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or via the event’s official website.