The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men falls late in the calendar, but in a slot that it has made its own. Riders who arent going to the world champs could be winding down already, and those changing teams might find themselves out of favour. But there are also riders who arent at the Vuelta a Espaa who need racing miles in their legs, and others coming back from injury with a point to prove. Add into the mix riders from development teams stepping up to the senior teams and half-a-dozen smaller teams getting their chance to mix it with WorldTour opponents, and you have a wide mix of talent and experience which can make for some interesting racing. Not only has the Tour of Britain provided riders with racing miles ahead of the world champs in previous years, it has also helped launch the likes of Julian Alaphilippe and Mathieu van der Poel into the upper echelons of the sport. All of which means there are lots of reasons to watch, and thanks to a last-minute deal, that can be done on the TV, as well as by the roadside. The race will be broadcast on TNT Sports as well as ITV and YouTube. StageDateStartFinishDistanceTerrain12 SeptLincolnLincoln182.5kmFlat23 SeptBostonSkegness180.2kmFlat34 SeptHullBeverley194.1kmFlat45 SeptHelmsleyLeyburn170.3kmHilly56 SeptEarlstonEarlston156.1kmHilly(Image credit: Getty Images)Stage 1: Lincoln > LincolnWednesday, 2 SeptemberDistance: 182.5kmElevation: 1,393mTerrain: FlatThe Tour of Britain rolls out from the shadow of Lincoln Cathedral for the first of five stages. Considering the Lincoln GP, the UKs most iconic one-day race, has been running for 70 years, its a little surprising that this is the first time the modern Tour of Britain has visited the city. To make up for lost time, the cathedral which was for over 200 years the tallest building in the world will welcome the peloton back after 130 kilometres before they complete four-and-a-half laps of a 12-kilometre circuit that includes the cobbled climb of Michaelgate the focal point of the Lincoln GP.While the climb is only 0.3km long, averaging 11%, its narrow and cobbled, and could catch out an unsuspecting fast-man, who will naturally be thinking this stage is a nailed-on sprint. The climb itself wont be hard enough to distance a WorldTour sprinter, but positioning might. They do at least have four dry runs onto and up the climb in order to nail the final ascent. Where to watch: It has to be Michaelgate. The pressure will be on each time they go up the cobbled climbStage 2: Boston > SkegnessThursday, 3 SeptemberDistance: 180.2kmElevation: 873mTerrain: FlatThe peloton remain in the east of England for stage two as the sprint teams will once again be tasked with holding a break at arms length beforing reeling them in before they hit Skegness. After leaving Boston, that gave its name to the US city, there are few geographical features on the route that covers the ground between Lincoln and the coast, affectionately known as the Costa del Lincs. The only thing that could disrupt a sprint finish is crosswinds hitting the peloton across the open farmland. Although thats unlikely at this time of year DSs in the team cars will have to keep an eye on the weather app.The run-in to the finish is straight from the sprint textbook, with just one lefthand turn with around 500m to go (outside Tonys Fish and Chips, if youre peckish), and a dead-straight run to the line just passed the pier. Pro riders are no stranger to popular holiday beach resorts, so if the local council can somehow relax the tax laws they could see an influx of riders relocating from Monaco. Skegnesss beach is much bigger, after all. Where to watch: Anyone wanting to get some miles in can watch the riders roll out of Boston before riding 24 miles to Skegness for a paddle, ice-cream and sprint finish(Image credit: SWPix.com / Bruce Rollinson)Stage 3: Hull > BeverleyFriday, 4 SeptemberDistance: 194.1kmElevation: 1,612mTerrain: FlatHull hasn't hosted a stage of the Tour of Britain since 2008, so the peloton should get an enthusiastic send off as it departs Kingston and heads east along the Humber Estuary. Hitting the North Sea, the course turns north along the oft-wind whipped coastline, passing through Withersea and Hornsea to Skipsea. This is a long, flat stage, set-up for sprint finish, but once the route arcs back west the landscape gets lumpier, as the course wends through the Wolds. Riders face their first speed bump leaving Burton Agnes, but a more significant climb awaits between Octon and Langtoft, with the ascent followed by an exciting downhill. After Garton-on-the-Wolds the peloton faces another 1.6km climb to Sledmere, from where the route drops into Wetwang and undulates to the bustling market town of Beverley. Here riders will do three-and-a-half laps of a 16km circuit before the final uphill haul to the finish at the racecourse, where the then-Visma rider Olav Kooij won a sprint to take his third consecutive stage win in the 2023 Tour of Britain.Where to watch: Heard to the racecourse to witness a probable sprint finish, or to see the peloton several times, as riders jostle for position, stakeout a spot on the 16km circuit between Beverley, Walkington and Bishop Burton.Stage 4: Helmsley > LeyburnSaturday, 5 SeptemberDistance: 170.3kmElevation: 2,839mTerrain: HillyConsidering this stage takes in both the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the route isnt as severe as it could be. Still, with over 2,300m of elevation, today is the races queen stage with four major climbs and a fair few smaller ones in between. No sooner has the peloton left the start in Helmsley than theyre out of the moors and on their way to the Dales, via Ripon. The first major climb comes after Pateley Bridge, taking the riders up to The Coldstones Cut. After the descent to Grassington they head north where three climbs in quick succession including the highpoint of the day on Grinton Moor. The race is almost certain to break up on this section, and if the weather comes in itll be tougher still. Any non-sprinters with designs on GC will know the latter half of todays stage is their best chance of gaining time. Theyve even got a final 12km largely uphill to gain a few more seconds or just make a winning move. Where to watch: If the sun is shining, ride up one of the major climbs to cheer them on. If its not, you could watch in Ripon, then nip up the A1M to the finish.Stage 5: Earlston > EarlstonSunday, 6 SeptemberDistance: 156.1kmElevation: 2,236mTerrain: HillyThe tour will race towards its conclusion in the Scottish Lowlands, with an exciting parcours that loops around the beautiful Borders region, starting and finishing in the market town of Earlston, which is featuring in the event for the first time. A second consecutive climbing stage, there will be plenty of points up for grabs for riders fighting for the polka-dot King of the Mountain jersey on the last day. Leaving Earlston, the peloton will embark on route shaped like a drunken figure-eight, going east through Smailholm and passing the confluence of the rivers Tweed and Teviot at Kelso, before pedalling north to Greenlaw on Blackadder Water, the centrifugal point of the course. From Duns the real climbing begins as the route runs northwest, deeper into East Lothians lovely Lammermuir Hills, and crosses the neck of Whiteadder Water. Riders reach the highest point on the course at Redstone Rig, before turning south, scaling Duddy Bank and heading back towards Earlston, where the event concludes with GC position-chasing hopefuls racing around two laps of a 19km circuit. Where to watch: For spectacular scenery and close proximity to riders exhibiting their climbing prowess, head into the Lammermuir Hills around Whiteadder Water; otherwise Earlston offers the chance to see riders three times. Contenders(Image credit: Getty Images)Tim Merlier (33, Bel)Soudal Quick-StepUCI Ranking: 352026 wins: 8Three stage wins at the Tour de France put Tim Merlier at the top of the sprinting tree this summer, so expect Soudal Quick-Step to be taking on pace-setting duties on the front of the peloton over the first three days. His Tour wins showed he is one of the best freelancers in the bunch, often winning after manoeuvring himself into the best position and then timing his sprint to perfection. Eighth at the Belgian Gravel Champs last week is his only day of racing since he missed the time-cut on stage 15 of the Tour so there is a question over his form. But then he has won a stage in every stage race hes ridden since the 2024 Giro. If his form is good, and he takes an early stage or two, his team will start to think about how they could keep him in the jersey all the way to the finish in Earlston. A tough ask, but not impossible. Olav Kooij (24, Ned)Decathlon CMA CGMUCI ranking: 402026 wins: 4Only two riders have ever won more Tour of Britain stage wins than Olav Kooij: Edvald Boasson Hagen and Sir Mark Cavendish. Kooij has won seven stages in just two editions, three in 2023 and four last year. If he were to repeat 2025s feat again at a third time of asking, then he would hold the record outright, beating the sprinting knight.This season has not been simple for the 24-year-old, who didnt start his season until the end of May due to illness, but hit the ground running, with two stage wins at the Boucles de Mayenne, and a win at the Baloise Belgium Tour. Kooij then followed it up with an impressive first Tour de France for Decathlon CMA CGM, winning stage five, and being on the podium four more times, all in a team focused on the GC hopes of Paul Seixas. In a team more focused on his sprints, expect him to make hay. (Image credit: Getty Images)Filippo Ganna (30, Ita)Netcompany-IneosUCI ranking: 702026 wins: 5There may not be an individual time trial at the Tour of Britain for Filippo Ganna to show himself at his best, but the Italian is more than a racer against the clock, as he showed when he won Dwars door Vlaanderen in a sprint finish in April, his biggest one-day win to date. On the tough roads of Britain, who would count him out of a win?Intriguingly for one of Netcompany-Ineoss biggest stars of the past decade, Ganna has never raced the Tour of Britain, but as hes not taking part in the Vuelta a Espaa, he needs somewhere to get the miles in before the World Championships in Canada, where hell be targeting the time trial rainbow bands once again. It worked for Remco Evenepoel last year, who finished second at the race a couple of weeks before he headed to Rwanda and demolished all. Home hopes(Image credit: Getty Images)If you're a British rider, the Tour of Britain is always a major stage and there will be no shortage of homegrown talent ready to strut and fret their respective hours upon it this September.Evergreen Ben Swift was a former stage winner way back in 2007. This time round he's more likely to be playing a team captain role within his Netcompany-Ineos team.National circuit champion Matt Bostock has been having a solid year on the domestic scene and has shown well at the Tour of Britain in the past. He'll be at home in some of the tight city centre finishes Lincoln, for example, where he was fifth in the GP race this year.Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling) is one of Britain's foremost sprinters and the winner of the points classification here in 2024, though yet to win a stage here. He's won four times this season and the TOB undoubtedly offers potential for a fifth.Alongside Vernon will be teammate Lewis Askey and Jake Stewart. Midlander Askey is a key team rider but could win from a break if the chance arises, while sprinter Stewart is likely to present a tandem approach with Vernon, with the pair supporting each other in the bunch finishes.Others to watch(Image credit: Getty Images)Chasing on the heels of the Tour of Britain's top GC contenders will be a number of wildcards hoping to make an impression on the grippy British byways. Among the best of these will be one of France's leading stage racing lights, Kvin Vauquelin of Netcompany-Ineos. The Norman enjoyed a promising start to the season with high placings at the Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice. He had high hopes for the Tour de France too, but his home race was ultimately dogged by illness and a badly-timed puncture. Having recorded a fourth top-10 placing at Paris-Roubaix in April, Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) spent July doing the hard yards in service of his illustrious team-mate Tadej Pogaar. With the Slovenian absent, and lumpy roads that could allow him to fully exploit his big engine, the 32-year-old Classics motor might be free to seek his own stage win glory.Likewise, France's Aurlien Paret-Peintre will have the chance to emerge from under the wing of his fted young team-mate Paul Seixas. The Decathlon CMA CGM rider thrives in the hills and the British tour's fourth and fifth stages, roving the roads of North Yorkshire and the Scots Borders, could suit him nicely.The full starting line-up remained mostly under wraps as we went to press. Keep an eye out for others who might take on the main GC favourites or go for stage wins.

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The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain will take place from the 2nd to the 6th of September and will be one of the most important races to prepare for the World Championships - as well as being Great Britain's top road event. Like every year, top classics specialists and sprinters will be present throughou...

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Stage 11 of the Vuelta a Espaa has been won by Matthew Brennan. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider has taken his third stage win of the race after a leadout from Wout Van Aert and a day spent at the head of the peloton. Domen Novak, Ethan Hayter, Sinuh Fernandz and Alessandro Covi formed the br...

Matthew Brennan continued his impressive Grand Tour debut on Wednesday, when he took his third victory in 11 days at the Vuelta a Espaa. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider was guided by his team-mate Wout van Aert through stage 11's finale in Lorca, where he kicked ahead with 150m to go and won comfortably ahead of Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).Brennan, who also won on stages two and five, celebrated his hat-trick by pointing three fingers into the sky one for each victory.The last rider to win three times in their first Grand Tour was Tadej Pogaar, who did the same at the Vuelta in 2019. "It's massive," said Brennan, after pulling off the same feat. "Im with a team full of massive champions. Youve got guys who have been on podiums in Grand Tours, and won them as well. Youve also got guys whove won big Classics and some huge races, and the fact that they go for me each time is an amazing opportunity. Im really thankful that they go full gas for me. Describing the run-in to the finish, the 21-year-old praised his Visma-Lease a Bike team, who he said "took the initiative" and "pulled as hard as they could". "Coming into the final, we really held or own place, and knew that we were strong enough to get to where we wanted to be," he said. "The boys did a fantastic job within that last 10km to really keep us in the right place, in the right position, out of trouble. And we crossed the line first, so [Im] super-happy. There were no changes in the top 10 of the general classification on stage 11; Enric Mas (Movistar) continues to lead the Vuelta by one minute and 18 seconds ahead of Primo Rogli (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) is third, another 21 seconds behind. (Image credit: Getty Images)Contained within the southeastern region of Murcia, stage 11 took the riders inland from the coastal city of Cartagena.The day began with news of the withdrawal of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who abandoned ahead of the roll-out due to illness. The first 110km of racing then passed uneventfully. Attempts to form a breakaway were short-lived on the flat route, and the peloton trundled mostly together to the intermediate sprint in Totana, with 42km remaining. There, an escaped duo of Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) and Larry Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling) rolled through in tandem for maximum points. They were followed promptly by green jersey wearer Van Aert, who picked up the scraps for his runaway tally in the points classification. The Belgian then pushed on over the category-three Alto de Aledo, the only climb of the day (pitched at 4.5% over 7.8km), to claim the KOM points, too. After the summit, barely 150 climbing metres remained in the final 30km, which tipped downhill to the line. Speeds stayed in excess of 55kph on the road into Lorca. Into the final 5km, Visma-Lease a Bike spearheaded the peloton, and despite losing their position momentarily, led again through a U-turn bend inside 500m to go. Van Aert then threaded Brennan onto the finishing straight, releasing him along the righthand barrier to charge to another victory. The Briton has now collected 22 professional wins since stepping up to Visma's WorldTour squad at the beginning of 2025. It's a tally that puts him among the most prolific riders in the world. ResultsVuelta a Espaa 2026, stage 11: Cartagena > Lorca (153.8km)1. Matthew Brennan (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 3:17:182. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis3. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe4. Magnus Cort (Den) Uno-X Mobility5. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike6. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) NSN Cycling Team7. Bastien Tronchon (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United8. Alessandro Romele (Ita) XDS Astana9. Mave Govekar (Slo) Bahrain-Victorious10. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar, all at same timeGeneral classification after stage 111. Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar Team, in 35:59:022. Primo Rogli (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +1:183. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon CMA CGM, +1:394. Oscar Onley (GBr) Netcompany-Ineos, +2:205. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +3:266. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +3:557. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +4:098. Harold Tejada (Col) XDS-Astana, +4:399. Gregor Mhlberger (Aut) Decathlon CMA CGM, +7:3310. Jakob Omrzel (Slo) Bahrain-Victorious, +8:05

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