Cornwall Tour of Britain Community Launch: Announcement of Grand Depart Stage Route, Logo and Website

The finalised route for the Cornwall Stage of the Tour of Britain in 2020 is being announced at a Community Launch with the Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot and Cornwall Council at Chy Trevail in Bodmin today (Monday 2nd December, 1.30pm – 3.30pm).

Cornwall Grand Depart Stage of the Tour of Britain is taking place on Sunday 6th September 2020.

The Community Launch also features an announcement of the Cornwall Tour of Britain official logo and the launch of the official Cornwall Tour of Britain website.

The logo was designed by Falmouth University student Draig Conybear and will become the promotional identity of the Cornwall Tour of Britain Stage in 2020.

Cornwall Tour of Britain website address is:

www.cornwalltourofbritain.co.uk

Cornwall is expected to receive a boost to the economy next year when it hosts the first stage of the 2020 Tour of Britain, with cyclists travelling 170km through the Cornish countryside, starting at Penzance and ending in Bodmin. The stage route will also visit many of Cornwall’s iconic tourist attractions as well as visiting St Just, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Pool, Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, Newquay and St Austell.

The race will give a massive boost to Cornwall’s economy. Independent economic reports estimate that the race will generate over £3million of extra spending within Cornwall over the stage, and it is hoped that around 180,000 people will line the roads of Cornwall to watch.

The Tour of Britain stage will be the biggest ever sporting event to be hosted in Cornwall. The Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event and the most prestigious race in Britain, and is shown live on ITV4 and Eurosport as well as being broadcast in 190 countries worldwide.

A total of 120 riders take part in the Tour of Britain and by hosting the first stage of the race in 2020, it will give opportunity for the public in Cornwall to see the world’s best cyclists in action.

The Tour of Britain stage in Cornwall also presents an opportunity for national and local businesses to get involved and sponsor the stage or the event as a whole.

Emily Kent, Head of Economy, Skills and Culture, Economic Growth and Development at Cornwall Council said: “Today’s Community Launch to showcase the Grand Depart Stage of the Tour of Britain in 2020, has a multi-purpose to it. Firstly, it is to connect and engage with communities across the county to showcase the biggest ever sporting event being hosted in Cornwall. We look forward to working with communities on engagement programmes across Cornwall to ensure that this event becomes a huge success right across the county.

“Secondly, we are delighted to announce the confirmation of the Cornwall Tour of Britain Stage route which will showcase Cornwall not just for cycling fans, but for wider communities across the county as well. Hosting the Grand Depart Stage of the Tour of Britain will bring visitors into Cornwall, not only along the Stage route, but across the rest of the county 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 cycle and lead healthier, more active lives.

“Thirdly, we are also delighted to announce our official Cornwall Tour of Britain logo and website. The logo will act as a visual identity for the Stage hosting that will be seen and recognised across the county as we build up towards the Grand Depart Stage and the website will be used as a vital source of continued news and information about the ongoing delivery of the Stage.”

Peter Hodges, Tour of Britain Communications Director, said:  “We are delighted to be formally announcing the official route, logo and website of the Grand Depart Stage of the 2020 Tour of Britain in Cornwall and look forward to bringing the race to the county for the very first time on September 6th 2020.

“A lot of hard work has gone into today’s announcements, which we know will excite local communities across the route allowing them to start planning all of the ways in which they can celebrate the Tour of Britain coming to Cornwall.

“We look forward to working with Cornwall Council, British Cycling, and all of the stakeholders involved to make this an amazing occasion for the whole of Cornwall and for cycling fans from far and wide to come and enjoy.”

Andy Hawes, Tour of Britain Route Director, said: “Having worked with Cornwall Council extensively over the last few months, we have considered, assessed and now created a fantastic stage route that provides the perfect balance of showcasing Cornwall’s fabulous environmental assets, tourist attractions, facilitating superb spectator viewing opportunities and providing high footfall visitor opportunities within many towns across the route to provide a huge economic impact and business opportunities to the county.

“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Cornwall Council over the forthcoming months and working with communities along the route to ensure the successful delivery of a world class sporting event hosted by Cornwall in 2020.”

More details of the Tour of Britain schedule and locations of the intermediate Sprints and King of the Mountains climbs for Stage One will be announced in the Spring.