Fourteen facts you might not know about the Tour of Britain

This year’s Tour of Britain starts on Sunday 15 September in Peebles, and finishes eight days later in London. Whether you follow it every year or are planning to give it a go for the first time this month, we’ve rounded up enough facts about the Tour to make you an instant expert...

1. In 1945 the first Tour of Britain, then known as the Victory Marathon, was won by Robert Batot of France. Back then the race was only open to amateurs. 

2. At 225km, stage 2 of this year’s race – from Carlisle to Kendal – will be the longest in the history of the modern Tour of Britain.

3. Last year more than 220,000 spectators lined the route from Barnstaple to Dartmouth, roaring on Devon rider Jonathan Tiernan Locke, who became to become the first Briton to win the race (in its modern era) overall.

4. This year’s Tour of Britain takes in four National Parks (Lake District, Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and Dartmoor) and one UNESCO World Heritage site (the Jurassic Coast).

5. From 1960-1993 the Tour of Britain was known as The Milk Race. The Milk Marketing Board originally agreed to pay for ‘Drink more milk’ to be embroidered on the jersey of every semi-professional, or independent, rider in the country. The winner received a £10 bonus. To spend on milk, presumably.

6. This year’s Tour of Britain will feature its biggest ever field, with 114 riders from 19 teams competing. Each team has six riders. We’ll be cheering on the Team Sky and Great Britain teams (we’re a bit biased).

7. Shane Sutton OBE, British Cycling coach, won the Tour of Britain (then known as the Milk Race) in 1990. Back then he looked like this.

8. This year’s Tour of Britain will pay its longest ever visit to Wales, with one stage heading for Snowdonia, and one crossing the Brecon Beacons.

9. In 2011 a stage of the Tour of Britain (from Kendal to Blackpool) was cancelled due to extreme weather and high winds littering the route with debris. Mark Cavendish tweeted: ‘Today’s stage is cancelled due to extreme weather. I’m sorry for the fans, organisers and the riders. Would have been a nice sprint in Blackpool.’

10. An elite women’s Westminster Grand Prix will form part of the final day of this year’s Tour of Britain, bringing the UK’s top female racers to the Whitehall circuit.

11. Caerphilly Mountain, which the riders will have to climb twice during the fifth stage of this year’s Tour of Britain, is 271 metres high. Now that’s got to hurt.

12. Stage six of this year’s race (Sidmouth to Haytor) will be the first time a stage has finished with a King of the Mountains climb in the modern era of the Tour of Britain. That’ll hurt too.

13. Sir Bradley Wiggins, who missed out on defending his Tour de France yellow jersey due to injury this summer, is set to compete in this year’s Tour of Britain for Team Sky. Go Wiggo!

14. The Tour of Britain is Great Britain’s biggest free spectator sporting event. Organisers estimate that around a million people watched it live in 2012. This year it looks set to be even bigger.

Inspired to get cycling? Join a free guided bike ride or create your own.

More on the Tour of Britain:

Our indispensable guide to the 2013 Tour of Britain
Ten reasons to love the Tour of Britain
The best places to watch the 2013 Tour of Britain