The UK’s flagship bike race The Tour of Britain, which concluded on Sunday, has had its moment in the spotlight soured by a chorus of complaints.
Commentators have singled out a boring route design and strange rules for criticism, with the race also crippled by a lack of funding, support, and even riders.
It’s fair to say British cycling has had a rough few days in the saddle – even down to the riders. Multi-discipline star Tom Pidcock was billed as the main rival to Dutch all-rounder Wout van Aert, but abandoned the race with injury.
His departure meant a second victory for Jumbo-Visma’s van Aert, who claimed the 2021 title and this year’s fifth stage, was little more than a formality, while teammate Olav Kooj won the first four of eight stages.
Jumbo-Visma’s dominance only added to complaints that the lack of competition and extremely sprint-heavy Tour created a repetitive and predictable route.
The unusual setup of the Tour featured barely any intermediate sprints or time bonuses, meaning it took until the fifth stage of an eight day race to establish a clear race leader in van Aert.
Commentator Ned Boulting described the parcours as “formulaic” on his ‘Never Strays Far’ cycling podcast, with co-presenter David Millar echoing the sentiment.
Millar described the race as “Groundhog Day” for the commentators as each stage followed the same pattern: short, flat stages with the same breakaway teams and riders, all controlled by the usually victorious Jumbo-Visma.
Perhaps the limited route was inevitable after a difficult year for British cycling. Local councils who play significant roles in route design and keeping crowds and riders safe are squeezed of funding – and costs are only going up.
Tour organiser Mick Bennett blamed the extra added costs of Brexit for further bleeding organisers of funding, as well as making the Tour less attractive to foreign riders.
Only 96 riders started the race, down from 125 pre-Covid in 2019 and 110 last year.
Bennett told Cycling Weekly it was “purely and simply Brexit” to blame, with border delays and issues frustrating teams and leading many to race elsewhere.
The situation hasn’t been helped by the loss of revenue from last year’s race, which was cancelled with three stages to go after the late Queen’s death. The racing may have stopped, but all those involved still needed their “pound of flesh,” Bennett said.
Elsewhere, Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Hogkinson criticised the race for putting cyclists “seriously at risk” due to the poor condition of the roads on day 7 in Gloucestershire.
The final stage of the 2023 edition only added to its issues. An unrelated road accident caused a section on the Blwch mountain to be abandoned and the Tour diverted, highlighting the lack of adequate support for keeping the roads safe.
A major casualty of this financial squeeze is the Women’s Tour, which was cancelled earlier this year and faces an uncertain future. This puts the UK way out of line with recent strides made in women’s road racing in Europe – especially after a highly successful Tour de France Femmes.
Further adding to its financial woes, this year’s Tour of Britain didn’t even have a title or jersey sponsor.
‘Continental’ teams, the level below elite World Tour teams, rely on events like these and the cramped nature of this year’s Tour will add to pressure on them as well.
Despite levels of grassroots participation which show no sign of decline, and the presence of British cyclists such as Tom Pidcock among the sport’s elite, mid-level teams, women’s cycling, and lower-level races are fighting for survival.
In better news, plenty of amateur cyclists weren’t put off by the route, coming in force to cheer at the roadside.
During an otherwise difficult year for British cycling, that support might be crucial in underlining the race’s key position in the calendar and drumming up enthusiasm for next year’s edition.
