Cornwall will host the Tour of Britain for the first time in September 2020, with the Grand Depart of the 2020 race seeing riders travel 170km through the county's stunning countryside, starting in Penzance and ending in Bodmin.
The Bodmin and Wenford Railway have now announced that the race will end on St Nicholas Street with the finish line outside the railway.
Independent economic reports estimate that the race will generate over £3million of extra spending within Cornwall
More details of the Tour of Britain schedule and locations of the intermediate Sprints and King of the Mountains climbs for Stage One will be announced in the Spring.
What did the officials say?
Steve Ackland, Bodmin & Wenford Railway's Commercial Manager, said:
“This is such an exciting opportunity for Cornwall, and we're pleased to be able to support the event in 2020. We're looking forward to working closely with organisers and local partners to make the events and celebrations at the end point a great success. In particular we hope to help by encouraging some of the anticipated 30,000 spectators to travel to Bodmin by rail on the main line to Bodmin Parkway Station, from where we can run a regular service to Bodmin General transporting them in to the town.”
Emily Kent, Head of Economy, Skills and Culture, Economic Growth and Development at Cornwall Council said:
“Today's Community Launch to showcase the Grand Depart Stage of the Tour of Britain in 2020, has a multi-purpose to it. Firstly, it is to connect and engage with communities across the county to showcase the biggest ever sporting event being hosted in Cornwall. We look forward to working with communities on engagement programmes across Cornwall to ensure that this event becomes a huge success right across the county.
“Secondly, we are delighted to announce the confirmation of the Cornwall Tour of Britain Stage route which will showcase Cornwall not just for cycling fans, but for wider communities across the county as well. Hosting the Grand Depart Stage of the Tour of Britain will bring visitors into Cornwall, not only along the Stage route, but across the rest of the county and it will also help to enhance our profile both at home and abroad. We will also work to ensure we create a long-lasting legacy from the event by raising the profile of cycling in Cornwall and motivating more people to cycle and lead healthier, more active lives.
“Thirdly, we are also delighted to announce our official Cornwall Tour of Britain logo and website. The logo will act as a visual identity for the Stage hosting that will be seen and recognised across the county as we build up towards the Grand Depart Stage and the website will be used as a vital source of continued news and information about the ongoing delivery of the Stage.”
Peter Hodges, Tour of Britain Communications Director, said:
“We are delighted to be formally announcing the official route, logo and website of the Grand Depart Stage of the 2020 Tour of Britain in Cornwall and look forward to bringing the race to the county for the very first time on September 6th 2020.
“A lot of hard work has gone into today's announcements, which we know will excite local communities across the route allowing them to start planning all of the ways in which they can celebrate the Tour of Britain coming to Cornwall.
“We look forward to working with Cornwall Council, British Cycling, and all of the stakeholders involved to make this an amazing occasion for the whole of Cornwall and for cycling fans from far and wide to come and enjoy.”
Andy Hawes, Tour of Britain Route Director, said:
“Having worked with Cornwall Council extensively over the last few months, we have considered, assessed and now created a fantastic stage route that provides the perfect balance of showcasing Cornwall's fabulous environmental assets, tourist attractions, facilitating superb spectator viewing opportunities and providing high footfall visitor opportunities within many towns across the route to provide a huge economic impact and business opportunities to the county.
“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Cornwall Council over the forthcoming months and working with communities along the route to ensure the successful delivery of a world class sporting event hosted by Cornwall in 2020.”
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