Tour of Britain 2021 The Grand Depart
In September 2021, Cornwall hosted the Grand Depart stage of the Tour of Britain for the first time. The annual international professional race sees some of the world’s best cyclists racing across Great Britain.
The Cornwall leg of the 2021 race saw riders travel 180 kilometres through the county, starting in Penzance and finishing the stage in Bodmin. Riders passed through a number of Cornish towns including St Ives, Camborne, Falmouth, Truro, Newquay and St Austell, getting a glimpse of iconic landmarks on the way.
The race – which is the largest free to watch spectator event in the country, was televised on Eurosport and ITV4, and had extensive coverage on BBC Radio 5Live.
Cornwall’s own Saint Piran cycling team was one of the first teams to be confirmed for the race. The county’s first-ever international cycling team were introduced on stage in Penzance before the start of the race and received a warm welcome from the local crowd.
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