East Suffolk Council
Sprint and Queen of the Mountains Climb Locations for Final Stage of Women’s Tour Race Confirmed
Stage six’s two sprints will be in Long Melford and Needham Market. Both locations have hosted Sprint sections in previous editions of the race when it has visited Suffolk, with Long Melford having welcomed a Sprint in both the men’s Tour of Britain (2010) and the first edition of the Women’s Tour (2014), while Needham Market hosted a Sprint on the opening stage of the 2018 Women’s Tour.
Both Sprints will have bonus seconds up for grabs, meaning the Sprints at Long Melford and Needham Market could help decide the 2021 Women’s Tour champion.
The SKODA Queen of the Mountains climbs will be in Glemsford and Clopton. This will be the first time Glemsford and Clopton have hosted SKODA Queen of the Mountains climbs. Skate’s Hill in Glemsford averages a 5.5% gradient of just over 500 metres up into the village of Glemsford.
The climb at Clopton Hill, the final climb of the race, comes after 113 kilometres of racing and is where the final points towards the SKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey will be awarded.
Cllr Letitia Smith, East Suffolk Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Leisure and Tourism, said:
“Excitement continues to grow for the return of the Tour this year and no doubt spectators will love seeing some of the world’s best cyclists fight it out in the sprints before racing to be crowned the 2021 Women’s Tour champion in the Final Stage in Felixstowe.”
Cllr Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Public Protection, said:
“It’s exciting to have the Sprint and Queen of the Mountains Climb locations confirmed, which should make for a thrilling and challenging final stage of this year’s race here in Suffolk. It’s great that these competitive sections will be spread out across the county, giving spectators across Suffolk the opportunity to cheer on some of the World’s top female riders.”
Race Director Mick Bennett, said:
“It is great to publish the details of the Sprints and ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains for the Suffolk stage to complete all of the key information about the route. We well know how important the bonus seconds at the Sprints can be so these two locations will be ones to watch if things are tight in the overall standings going into Stage Six.”