The OVO Energy Tour of Britain, the UK’s premier road cycling race, will finish in Wales for the first time this September as Cardiff hosts the final stage on Sunday 10 September.

It will be just the fourth time since the race was revived in 2004, and the first time since 2012, that the OVO Energy Tour of Britain has finished outside of London, and coincides with Visit Wales’ Year of Legends.

Cardiff will welcome the OVO Energy Tour of Britain for the first time ever, with the 180-kilometre Stage Eight beginning in Worcester and passing through Monmouthshire and Newport, before finishing on King Edward VII Avenue, alongside Cardiff City Hall where the Tour route was launched on Tuesday.

Welsh Government Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: "I am delighted that this year’s Tour of Britain will be finishing in Wales for the first time. It is a real coup and another excellent opportunity for us to showcase Wales' unique and beautiful landscape to the world.

“As we look forward to hosting the UEFA Champions League Final in June, 2017 really is proving to be a great year for Wales to showcase its expertise at hosting world class  major events. I am sure people in Cardiff will come out in their droves to support the race.”

Wales has hosted a stage of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain annually since 2010, including the opening stage from Anglesey in 2015.

Anne Admas-King, Chief Executive of Welsh Cycling said: "The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is one of the most prestigious cycling events in UK and brings professional cycle racing closer to the fans, and we are thrilled to have the final stage in Cardiff in September. It will also give our elite cyclists like Owain Doull, Luke Rowe and Scott Davies an opportunity to compete at home, racing on roads they grew up on."

"Without the support of the Welsh Government, we would not be able to bring world class events to Wales, and their continued investment is helping to inspire Wales to cycle."

The OVO Energy Tour of Britain, British Cycling’s premier road cycling race, will link the capitals of Scotland and Wales in 2017, starting from Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and finishing in Cardiff city centre outside City Hall eight days later.

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Monica Walsh, said: “I am pleased that Cardiff has been chosen as the location for the final stage of this prestigious event. As the Capital City of Wales, we have set out our aspiration of becoming one of the top cycling cities in the UK. The event will be a fantastic opportunity for the residents of Cardiff to come out and watch some of the most elite cyclists in the world.”

Mick Bennett, Race Director of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, said: “Cardiff and South Wales has a huge cycling community with star names like Geraint Thomas, Luke Rowe and Nicole Cooke all hailing from the area, so it is fitting that as Wales gets to host the overall finish of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain for the first time we bring it to the Welsh capital.

“We would like to thank our partners at the Welsh Government and Cardiff City Council for this fantastic opportunity and look forward to creating a memorable stage for this great occasion.”

 

Further details of Stage Eight and the Cardiff finish will be announced in the Summer. The eight stages of the 2017 route will cover over 1,310-kilometres between Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 September, with ITV4 again providing four hours of coverage each day, three of them live.

OVO Energy, the UK’s top rated independent energy supplier was recently announced as the title sponsor of the Tour of Britain.

The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step, taking place between Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 September 2017.