Route A
The TfL London Stage 8a sees the reintroduction of the individual time trial to The Tour of Britain for the first time since 2005, and for the first ever occasion in central London.
The ‘race of truth’ will see the battle for the IG Markets Gold Jersey go right down to the wire, and play a crucial role in who succeeds Michael Albasini, and joins the role of honour as Tour of Britain winner.
Using the same iconic circuit as Stage 8b, the time trial starts slightly further up Whitehall at the end of Whitehall Place, where riders will roll down the time trial ramp at one-minute intervals.
From Whitehall the stage heads up to Trafalgar Square where a right hand turn takes riders down Northumberland Avenue to the Thames. A left turn leads onto the Embankment for the long blast up to Tower Hill.
With no turns until the hairpin outside the Tower of London, this section of the course will play into the hands of the top time trialists who can maintain their aerodynamic position while putting out a large power output.
From Tower Hill the route retraces its steps, with the slight downhill back to the Embankment making it the fastest section of the course and a great place to see how quick the world’s top time trialists can go.
The stage follows the curve of the Embankment, under the watchful gaze of the London Eye opposite, until reaching the end of Westminster Bridge, where two right turns in rapid succession, the first outside Portcullis House, take The Tour past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament for a great photo opportunity.
One final effort and one final corner lead to the line, clipping Parliament Square as they turn into Whitehall and begin to sprint for the line.
With only five corners on the 8.8 kilometre circuit, fast times are expected on a course which will suit the experienced time trialists, making for a thrilling conclusion to the 2011 Tour of Britain.
Route B
The Tour of Britain concludes with it’s now traditional circuit race, giving spectators at The TfL London Stage a number of opportunities to see the riders, as they complete ten laps of the iconic central London circuit.
Likely to be the fastest stage of the 2011 Tour, the circuit also features a slow corner at Tower Hill, allowing spectators to see the peloton at close hand, and get some great photographs.
The entire stage route is lined by one of the most famous skylines in the world, with Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London, the London Eye and the House of Parliament all providing the backdrop to the action at some stage.
Since 2009 the start/finish line has moved from Victoria Embankment to Whitehall, returning to the location where numerous Tours of Britain have previously finished. From the start close to the end of Downing Street the stage heads up to Trafalgar Square, then down Northumberland Avenue to the Embankment.
The Tour of Britain then heads downstream alongside the River Thames, before diverting away from the river to make the turn on Tower Hill. From outside the Tower of London the route retraces its wheel tracks back to the Embankment passing underneath Blackfriars Bridge as the stage follows the curve of the river upstream.
Through the shadow of Big Ben, the route clips Parliament Square, turning right into Whitehall for the run to the line.
Laps Two, Six and Eight see The Tour of Britain’s final Yodel Sprints of the year take place, and with each one offering not just points but also a time bonus, the action is likely to be frantic.
While the Individual Time Trial may well have decided the final destination of the IG Markets Gold Jersey earlier in the day, the battle for both The Prostate Cancer Charity Points Jersey and the Yodel Sprints Jersey is likely to go right down to the wire, as the sprinters prepare for one last blast around the streets of London.
Previous winners of the TfL London Stage have included Tom Boonen, Alessandro Petacchi and Andre Greipel, showing the stage is one for only the very fastest riders in the professional peloton.
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