The Tour of Britain is set to conclude with a thrilling eighth stage in the capital, with this year’s final stage being hosted in the Olympic and Para-Olympic Borough of Newham.
The location also hosts a free cycling festival, with the stage following a 100km route occurring over 10 laps around the Royal Docks; beginning at Beckton District Park and continuing through the Thames Barrier Park, the University of East London, Trinity Buoy Wharf and the ExCeL London exhibition centre.
Attracting national and international teams, stage five of the prestigious title was won by Marco Frapporti (Colnago – CSF) yesterday, who managed to hold off Britain’s triple Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins.
Frapporti crossed the line 13 seconds in front of Wiggins, with third place Lucas Sebastiån Haedo a further 19 seconds back. Many of the general classification contenders were largely content in the main peleton, with the group eventually coming in 9:18 behind.
Throughout the Tour of Britain – with stages including Rochdale, Stoke-on-Trent, Wales, Somerset, Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk/Essex – the riders have had to contend with various terrains, from windswept coastal roads to narrow steep climbs. The final stage will bring a new challenge, with the urban stage offering stunning visuals of The O2, the Thames Barrier and the Canary Wharf Skyline.
The stage is set to gather the riders for a warm up at 1.30pm, with Stage 8 commencing at 2pm. The circuit will give Londoners a taste the International standard cycling they can expect to see at the London 2012 Olympics, and is expected to conclude at approximately 4pm.
The event is free of charge, and members of the public can sign up to the London Tour Ride, to sample the circuit even before the professionals can have a go.
