The biggest professional cycle race in Britain will start in Cornwall for the first time next year, promising a huge economic boost to the county.
The county will host the first stage of the 2020 Tour of Britain, with 120 riders travelling 170km through Cornwall’s countryside, from Penzance to Bodmin.
The race’s route will also pass through St Just, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Pool, Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, St Austell, Newquay and the Eden Project in September next year.
The event is expected to bring more than £3m of extra spending into the county with 180,000 people expected to line the route.
The Tour of Britain stage will be the biggest ever sporting event to be hosted in Cornwall. It has previously passed through Devon but never Cornwall.
The race is broadcast in 190 countries across the world.
Councillor Adam Paynter, leader of Cornwall Council, said: “This is fantastic news for Cornwall, not just for cycling fans, but for the wider community as well.
“It will bring visitors into the Duchy, not only along the cycle route, but across the rest of the Duchy 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 get on two wheels and lead healthier, more active lives.”
Dave Potter, Chair of the Cornwall Tour of Britain Stage Working Group, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be part of a team that has worked for over two years to bring to Cornwall in 2020, a stage of the Tour of Britain. It is a fantastic opportunity to present to the World, the landscape and culture of Cornwall.
“Hosting this premier sporting event also enables the generation of economic activity, promotion of healthy living and cycle tourism in Cornwall. But above all, it will hopefully act as an inspiration to young people that anything is possible and nothing is out of reach.”
Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain Race Director, said: “We are delighted to today be formally agreeing the Grand Depart of the 2020 Tour of Britain in Cornwall and look forward to bringing the race to the county for the very first time in September 2020.
“A lot of hard work over a sustained period has gone into today’s news, which we know will excite sports fans in Cornwall and across Britain.
“Working with Cornwall Council, British Cycling, the UCI and partners we look forward to making Cornwall the destination to be next September to see the world’s best.”
Chris Opie, Cornwall’s most successful professional cyclist, said: "As a proud Cornishman and Cornwall’s most successful Professional Cyclist, I am a lifelong athlete who grew up in Cornwall, but had to look further afield for inspiration from world class athletes. Should the bid to host the Tour of Britain be successful, the opportunity to inspire a younger generation would be incredible.
“The chance to witness the world’s top athletes competing in one of the world’s toughest events right on their doorstep, enabling a generation to dream and to aim for large, exciting, ambitious goals could be genuinely life changing."
“Very few individuals have the belief they can do something extraordinary in life, the Tour of Britain is the perfect vehicle to showcase that life can be special.
“As a competitor, the idea to race along the roads I grew up cycling on is truly spine tingling. To stand on the start line in a Cornish town or city as part of a world class sporting event would fill me with a pride unrivalled by any sporting experience imaginable.”
