Tour of Britain (2.Pro)

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The race:

The Tour of Britain is a week-long professional stage race held in mid-September. It is the modern successor to British stage races dating back to the end of the Second World War, notably the Victory Cycling Marathon (1945), Brighton-Glasgow (1946 - 1950, '52), Tour of Britain (1951, '52, '53, '54, '55), the Milk Race (1958-1992), The Kellog's Tour of Britain (1987 - 1994) and the Pru Tour (1988-1999).

Sponsorship difficulties, exacerbated by a couple of tragic accidents ended the running of a British national tour in 1999.

The current Tour of Britain started in 2004 and with a 2.1 UCI ranking, it attracts a decent field of professional racers despite its usual conflict with the Vuelta a España.

For 2014, The Tour of Britain was promoted to HC status. In 2020 the race became part of the UCI ProSeries

In 2014, 2012 winner Jonathan Tiernan-Locke was stripped of his 2012 win because of biological passport irregularities.

Out of respect for the passing of Queen Elizabeth, the final three stages of the 2022 Tour of Britain were cancelled.