Mid-Wales cycling fans are set to turn out in force as stage four of the Tour of Britain heads through Powys on Wednesday, September 8.

The route for the race was formally announced last week, and Queen stage of the 2021 Tour of Britain will start by the sea in the harbour town of Aberaeron before heading through Machynlleth, and culminates with a dramatic finish on the Great Orme in Llandudno.

The stage leaves the coast near Ynyslas before heading up the A487 from Tre-r-ddol, through Eglwys Fach and into Machynlleth.

After breezing past the town's famous clock tower up Hoel y Doll the race heads over the Dyfi Bridge and continues towards Corris before heading into Snowdonia through Minffordd.

A tough ending to the stage sees the race heading through the Snowdonia National Park and a Skoda King of the Mountains ascent of the Great Orme’s Marine Drive toll road before tackling the 1.9km, 9.8% average climb that runs parallel to the famous tramway up to the finish.

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director, said: "This year’s Tour of Britain route is truly spectacular, covering a greater geographical area than we’ve ever done before while also ticking off several things we’ve wanted to do for a long time. Be it visiting Cornwall and Aberdeenshire, hosting stage finishes on the summit of Great Orme and in the shadow of the Angel of the North, reintroducing a team time trial and visiting noteworthy and historic host venues new and old, I have a feeling that this year’s race will be one for the ages. "

The tour of Britain Stages in full are:

  • Stage One: Sunday 5 September, Penzance to Bodmin, 180.8km
  • Stage Two: Monday 6 September, Sherford to Exeter, 184km
  • Stage Three: Tuesday 7 September, Carmarthenshire team time trial, 27.5km
  • Stage Four: Wednesday 8 September, Aberaeron to Great Orme, Llandudno, 209.7km
  • Stage Five: Thursday 9 September, Cheshire to Warrington, 152km
  • Stage Six: Friday 10 September, Carlisle to Gateshead, 192.7km
  • Stage Seven: Saturday 11 September, Hawick to Edinburgh, 194.7km
  • Stage Eight: Sunday 12 September, Stonehaven to Aberdeen, 173km

Relaunched in 2004 after a five-year absence from the calendar, the Tour of Britain features Olympic, world and Tour de France champions, and attracts a roadside audience of over 1.5m spectators.

It is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, held annually across eight days in September.

The Tour is part of the UCI ProSeries, making it one of the most prestigious sporting events in the sport’s global calendar. The race’s last two champions – Julian Alaphilippe (2018) and Mathieu van der Poel (2019) are widely considered two of the sport’s leading riders. Both won stages and worn the yellow jersey in this year’s Tour de France.

To see a map of the route, visit https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/