Sport fans from across south-west Hertfordshire will have the opportunity to watch some of the biggest names in world cycling in action later this year after the route for this year’s Tour of Britain was unveiled this evening.

Organisers of the most prestigious event in British cycling have revealed Stage Six of the race will finish in Hemel Hempstead’s Gadebridge Park on Friday, September 12.

The penultimate stage of the race, which will be broadcast live on ITV4, will begin in Bath and head through Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire en route to a section through the Chilterns before concluding in the town.

Race director Mick Bennett said: “The final third of Stage Six through the Chilterns will be one of the toughest sections of the 2014 route, with a series of short, sharp climbs for riders to tackle.

“The countryside and climbs provide ideal racing roads, so I am sure we will see a worthy stage winner crowned in Hemel Hempstead.”

At just over 200km, the stage is one of the longest of the Tour and will include several testing climbs in and around Chinnor and Princes Risborough. More details of the route will be confirmed in the summer but the cyclists will also visit Chesham before heading to their final destination.

“We’re so excited Dacorum is hosting the Tour of Britain,” said councillor Neil Harden, portfolio holders for residents and regulatory services at Dacorum Borough Council. “It will be a great day out for all the family as well as cycling enthusiasts – and a big draw for visitors.”

The Tour, which was won last year by Olympic time-trial champion and past Tour de France victor Sir Bradley Wiggins, will begin in Liverpool on Sunday, September 7 and finish eight days later in central London, featuring an individual time trial and circuit race finishing in Whitehall.

To see a route of Stage Six, click on the link below

Stage6_Overview(1).pdf