Although several end of season events will undergo date changes next season, such as the Giro di Lombardia moving to a new timeslot in September and the Tour of Beijing taking place later in October, the Tour of Britain has confirmed a largely unchanged schedule for 2012.
The UK’s biggest stage race will once again cover eight days and will be held from Sunday 9th until Sunday 16th of September. This year’s event ran on an almost-identical timing between September 11th and 18th, again Sunday to Sunday.
Crucially, the race will again be held one week before the world road race championships. Mark Cavendish won the final stage last month and then went on to take the rainbow jersey in Copenhagne.
Details are as yet scarce but the organisers SweetSpot Group have said that the race will travel to Scotland, England and Wales.
Spectator numbers should be at a very high point, given the ever-increasing popularity of the sport, the expected Team Sky campaign for yellow and green jerseys with Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish next July, and the Olympic Games in August.
It is expected that some of those who win Olympic medals will be in action during the race.
More details about next year’s race will come in the New Year. Full information about the route and the teams will follow in the spring.
Lars Boom won the 2011 edition of the event, with the Rabobank rider beating Sky Procycling’s Steve Cummings by 36 seconds.
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