Tour of Britain fans “on top of the world” at Devon Stage
Hundreds of thousands of spectators were left feeling “on top of the world” in Devon today (Friday 20 September) after joining The Tour of Britain’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
Stage Six of this year’s Tour, hosted by Devon County Council, started in Sidmouth on East Devon’s Jurassic Coast with a warm welcome from fans and the warmest weather of the race so far.
Huge crowds got to see some of the biggest names in cycling on the 85 mile (137 km) route, which took in Sidbury, Honiton, Willand, Tiverton, Exeter, Chudleigh, Moretonhampstead and Bovey Tracey.
The first summit finish in the modern era of the race didn’t disappoint with Haytor in Dartmoor National Park providing the setting for an explosive finish. Despite attacks from Dan Martin, of Garmin Sharp, and Nairo Quintana, of Movistar, race leader Sir Bradley Wiggins, of Sky Pro Cycling, led an elite group with 1km to go.
However, it was young Great Britain rider Simon Yates who was first to reach the top of the climb at Haytor to win the Stage, followed by Martin Elmiger of IAM Cycling and David Lopez of Sky Pro Cycling. Wiggins was just seven seconds behind Yates to maintain his overall lead in the race and keep the IG Gold Jersey with only two stages remaining. He has a 32 second lead over Elmiger, who is now leading the Chain Reaction Points Jersey classification.
Movistar rider Angel Madrazo again featured in the breakaway to pick up more points and maintain his lead in both the Skoda King of the Mountains and the Yodel Direct Sprints competitions.
As well as the professional race, local youngsters had the chance to emulate their cycling heroes, racing around Sidmouth in a criterium the night before the Stage, and schoolchildren took on the challenge of a hill climb at Haytor just hours before the race reached the finish.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “It was marvellous to see so many people turn out for the 10th anniversary Tour. Last year more than 220,000 people were watching along the route, and I’m sure we must have topped that today – probably more than a quarter of a million turned out. We got to see a British winner and Sir Bradley Wiggins kept the IG Gold Jersey. And with the Indian Summer arriving in Devon today the thousands of visitors and millions of people around the world watching on TV got to see Devon at its best.”
Kevin Bishop, Chief Executive of Dartmoor National Park Authority, said: “The number of people here far exceeded what we expected. It builds on the success of previous years of The Tour coming to Dartmoor and we’re seeing the number of people cycling across Dartmoor, both on-road and off-road, increasing. There are direct economic benefits from The Tour with local B&Bs and hotels booked up for the week and weekend, and having Devon and Dartmoor beamed to countries across the world, hopefully its put us on the international map.”
Teignbridge District Council Leader Councillor Jeremy Christophers said: “Everyone has literally been on top of the world today. Everything came together perfectly on the day, including the weather. I’d like to thank all the teams from The Tour, Devon County Council, Teignbridge and Dartmoor National Park Authority for all their hard work. The turnout was amazing and just illustrates how much it means to the people of Teignbridge and Devon. We’re committed to building on all the good work that’s happening with cycling and we can’t wait until next year!”
Councillor Iain Chubb, East Devon District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Sidmouth looked its very best this morning as East Devon bade a warm welcome to the glittering stars of international cycling. It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the sunshine and the spectacle. I’m very hopeful that after seeing this amazing stretch of the Jurassic Coast and enjoying the hospitality that Sidmouth and East Devon has to offer, people will come back for a longer stay.”
Mick Bennett, Race Director of The Tour of Britain, said: “When we thought about a summit finish it had to be here at Haytor. What a setting; we’re absolutely delighted. And it’s not just about the race – the community engagement with kids riding the hill climb is why we’re here. It’s about inspiring the next generation. Its been fantastic and Devon has set the bar again.”
Devon has featured in The Tour over the past seven years. In that time it has brought in more than £21 million to the local economy and showcased the county to a worldwide television audience. Last year’s Devon Stage generated more than £7.3 million in the county in a record breaking year.
Highlights of the Devon Stage will be shown on ITV4 and British Eurosport this evening, with live coverage of Stage Seven from Epsom to Guildford continuing on both channels tomorrow.
Stage Six results:
Stage Winner: Simon Yates, Great Britain
IG Gold Jersey, Race Leader: Sir Bradley Wiggins, Sky Pro Cycling
Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, Leader: Martin Elmiger, IAM Cycling
Skoda King of the Mountains Jersey, Leader: Angel Madrazo, Movistar
Yodel Direct Sprints Jersey, Leader: Angel Madrazo, Movistar
For more information on The Tour of Britain, visit: www.southwesttourofbritain.co.uk and www.tourofbritain.co.uk and on Twitter follow @SWTourofBritain.
