Tour of Britain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tour of Britain

2023 Tour of Britain
Race details
Date	September
Region	Great Britain
Local name(s)	The Tour
Discipline	Road
Competition	UCI Europe Tour (2004–2021) UCI ProSeries (2021–present)
Type	Stage race
Organiser	SweetSpot
History
First edition	1945 (1945)
First winner	Robert Batot (FRA)
Most recent	Wout van Aert (BEL)

The Tour of Britain is a big cycling race held in Great Britain. In this race, cyclists compete across the country to finish in the fastest time. It's a "multi-stage" race, meaning it has several parts, or stages, over different days.

This event has a long history, starting right after the Second World War. Over the years, different races have been known as the Tour of Britain. These include the Milk Race, the Kellogg's Tour of Britain, and the PruTour.

The current version of the Tour of Britain began in 2004. It is now part of the UCI ProSeries, which is a high level of professional cycling events.

History of the Tour of Britain (1945–1999)

How it Started

The idea for the Tour of Britain came from a disagreement among cyclists during the Second World War. Some cyclists wanted to have mass races on public roads. However, the main cycling group at the time, the National Cyclists' Union (NCU), was worried this would be too dangerous.

A race held in 1942, against the NCU's rules, led to its organizers and riders being banned. These riders then formed a new group called the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC). They wanted to have big road races, just like the famous Tour de France in France.

The first multi-day race in Britain was the Southern Grand Prix in 1944. It was won by Les Plume. This success encouraged the BLRC to organize an even bigger race in 1945. They called it the Victory Cycling Marathon to celebrate the end of the war.

This race went from Brighton to Glasgow in five stages. A French rider named Robert Batot won the race. It was a challenging event, with riders often having to find their own places to sleep.

Sponsors and Support

The early races, like the Victory Cycling Marathon, ran on very little money. Riders stayed in cheap places, and officials used their own cars. In 1947, a newspaper called the News of the World gave £500 to the race. But they soon stopped their support because of arguments within the BLRC.

Later, other newspapers like Sporting Record and the Daily Express sponsored the race. However, the Daily Express also stopped its support due to ongoing disagreements among officials.

In 1954, Quaker Oats became a sponsor. Then, in 1958, the Milk Marketing Board (MMB) took over.

The Milk Race

The Milk Marketing Board (MMB) was a group that helped sell milk from dairy farmers in England and Wales. A cyclist named Dave Orford suggested that the MMB sponsor cyclists. The MMB decided to sponsor a big international race instead.

This led to the creation of the Milk Race, which started in 1958. It lasted for 35 years, making it the longest cycling sponsorship in the UK. A video game based on the Milk Race was even released in 1987.

The Milk Race was first open to semi-professional riders. From 1960 to 1984, only amateur riders could compete. Then, from 1985 to 1993, both amateurs and professionals were allowed. The Milk Race ended in 1993 when the MMB was closed down.

In 2013, the Milk Race name was brought back for a one-day race in Nottingham.

Kellogg's Tour and PruTour

The professional Kellogg's Tour of Britain ran for eight years, from 1987 to 1994. This tour was known for its very long and hilly stages. For example, in 1987, a stage went from Newcastle upon Tyne to Manchester through the Yorkshire Dales.

The PruTour, sponsored by Prudential plc, ran twice in 1998 and 1999. Both the Kellogg's Tour and the PruTour ended because sponsors pulled out. This was due to safety concerns during the races.

Past Winners (1945-1999)

Tour of Britain (from 2004)

After a five-year break, the Tour of Britain came back in 2004. It started as a five-stage race. Over the years, it grew to six, then seven, and finally eight stages by 2008. It's a professional men's race that attracts top teams from around the world.

Stage 3 of the 2005 race passing through Honley, near Huddersfield

Recent Winners

		Rider	Team
2004		Ardila, MauricioMauricio Ardila		Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
2005		Nuyens, NickNick Nuyens		Quick-Step–Innergetic
2006		Pedersen, MartinMartin Pedersen		Team CSC
2007		Feillu, RomainRomain Feillu		Agritubel
2008		Lequatre, GeoffroyGeoffroy Lequatre		Agritubel
2009		Boasson Hagen, EdvaldEdvald Boasson Hagen		Team Columbia–HTC
2010		Albasini, MichaelMichael Albasini		Team HTC–Columbia
2011		Boom, LarsLars Boom		Rabobank
2012		Haas, NathanNathan Haas		Garmin–Sharp
2013		Wiggins, BradleyBradley Wiggins		Team Sky
2014		van Baarle, DylanDylan van Baarle		Garmin–Sharp
2015		Boasson Hagen, EdvaldEdvald Boasson Hagen		MTN–Qhubeka
2016		Cummings, SteveSteve Cummings		Team Dimension Data
2017		Boom, LarsLars Boom		LottoNL–Jumbo
2018		Alaphilippe, JulianJulian Alaphilippe		Quick-Step Floors
2019		van der Poel, MathieuMathieu van der Poel		Corendon–Circus
2020	No race due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021		van Aert, WoutWout van Aert		Team Jumbo–Visma
2022		Serrano, GonzaloGonzalo Serrano		Movistar Team
2023		van Aert, WoutWout van Aert		Team Jumbo–Visma

2004 Race

The 2004 Tour of Britain was the first modern version of the race. It lasted five days in September. It was the first Tour of Britain since 1999. Big teams like T-Mobile and U.S. Postal Service took part.

The race ended with a 45-mile "criterium" in London. A criterium is a short race with many laps on a closed course. About 100,000 people watched this exciting finish. The overall winner, known as the General Classification winner, was Mauricio Ardila from Colombia.

2005 Race

The 2005 race had six stages. It started in Glasgow and finished in London. British rider Roger Hammond won a stage, which was a big moment for a home rider. Nick Nuyens from Belgium won the overall title. He was one of only two riders to lead the race from start to finish.

Future cycling stars like Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish raced in the 2005 Tour for the first time.

2006 Race

The 2006 Tour of Britain also had six stages. Martin Pedersen from Denmark won the overall race. He also led the race from start to finish, just like Nick Nuyens the year before. Mark Cavendish won the points competition. The final stage in London was shown live on TV.

2007 Race

The 2007 Tour of Britain was extended to seven days. It started in London and finished in Glasgow. French rider Romain Feillu won the overall race by a very small margin. This was the closest finish in the modern race's history. Mark Cavendish won the first two stages and the points competition.

2008 Race

The tour grew again in 2008, with eight stages. It started in London and ended in Liverpool. For the first time, the race was shown on ITV4, with daily highlight shows. Geoffroy Lequatre from France won the overall title, even though he didn't win any individual stages. Two other riders, Alessandro Petacchi and Edvald Boasson Hagen, each won three stages.

2009 Race

The 2009 Tour of Britain also had eight stages. It started in Scunthorpe and finished in London. Edvald Boasson Hagen was the clear winner. He won a record four stages in a row on his way to the title.

2010 Race

The 2010 Tour of Britain was won by Michael Albasini. His winning margin was the largest in the modern race's history. Team Sky made their first appearance in the race this year. The final stage in London had to be moved because of a visit from the Pope.

2011 Race

The 2011 Tour of Britain saw Dutch rider Lars Boom win the overall race. One stage was canceled due to bad weather, which is rare for the modern race. This year showed how important the race was becoming internationally. Thor Hushovd, the world champion, won a stage while wearing his special "Rainbow Jersey." Mark Cavendish, a famous sprinter, also returned to the race and won two stages.

2012 Race

The 2012 Tour of Britain was very popular. This was because Bradley Wiggins had just won the Tour de France and the London 2012 Olympic Games had just finished. The last two hours of each stage were shown live on TV.

Originally, Jonathan Tiernan-Locke won the race, becoming the first British winner since the race restarted. However, later, due to an investigation, his title was taken away. The race was then given to Nathan Haas from Australia. Mark Cavendish won three stages, including the final one.

2013 Race

The 2013 Tour of Britain was the tenth edition of the modern race. Bradley Wiggins won the overall title for Team Sky. This was Team Sky's only overall win in the race. The race also had its first-ever hill-top finish on Haytor in Devon. Simon Yates, who was only 21 at the time, won this challenging stage.

2014 Race

The 2014 Tour of Britain was the first to be a UCI 2.HC category race, which is a higher level. It also had a main sponsor, Friends Life Group. The race started in Liverpool and finished in London. Dylan van Baarle won the overall race. German sprinter Marcel Kittel won two stages.

2015 Race

Edvald Boasson Hagen made history at the 2015 Tour of Britain by becoming the first rider to win the modern race twice. The race started in Anglesey, which was the first time one of Britain's smaller islands hosted the start. The final stage in London used a new route. A German rider named André Greipel was disqualified from winning a stage for dangerous sprinting, which was a first for the modern race.

2016 Race

The 2016 Tour of Britain was won by British rider Steve Cummings. He had finished second in previous years. This was the first time since 2013 that the race didn't have a main sponsor.

Glasgow hosted the start of the race for the first time in 10 years. Cummings built his victory by doing well on a steep climb in Kendal. The 2016 Tour was also the last professional race for Bradley Wiggins before he retired.

2017 Race

The 2017 Tour of Britain was won by Dutch rider Lars Boom. This made him the second rider to win the modern race twice, after Edvald Boasson Hagen.

This year, OVO Energy became the main sponsor. For the first time, ITV4 showed every stage live and in full.

2018 Race

Julian Alaphilippe became the first French rider to win the Tour of Britain since 2008. The 2018 Tour of Britain was watched by over 1.5 million people along the roads. Famous cyclists like Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas (who had just won the Tour de France) took part.

The race had its first-ever "team time trial" stage. This is where teams race against the clock together. It was an uphill stage that finished at Whinlatter.

2019 Race

The 2019 Tour of Britain was won by Mathieu van der Poel. He had a close battle with Italian rider Matteo Trentin. Van der Poel won three stages, including the final one in Greater Manchester. This year, the race did not visit London, but it did go through Glasgow and Newcastle.

2020 Race

The 2020 Tour of Britain was planned to start in Cornwall for the first time. It was also going to finish further north than ever before, in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen. However, the race was canceled in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The route planned for 2020 was used for the 2021 race instead.

2021 Race

2022 Race

The race returned to Yorkshire for the first time since 2009. It was also planned to go through Dorset for the first time. However, the final three stages were canceled. This was due to the death of Elizabeth II. The race was then declared finished.

2023 Race

The 2023 race started in Manchester on September 3rd. It finished in Wales on September 10th.

2024 Race

In January 2024, the company that organized the race faced financial problems. Because of this, the race was removed from the 2024 calendar. However, it is now planned to run from September 1st to September 8th.

Images for kids

• 

  Gordon Thomas receiving the 1953 Tour of Britain cup

• 

  The caravane before the race passed near Halifax

See also

In Spanish: Vuelta a Gran Bretaña para niños

• Tour de Yorkshire