Posted on: Wednesday 23 July 2025
This September, Torfaen will play host to the latter stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men - Britain’s biggest professional cycle race.
On Saturday September 6 and Sunday September 7, the UK’s largest free-to-spectate live sporting event, will see the world’s top cyclists racing two arduous stages across south Wales.
Pontypool Park will host the start of Stage Five on Saturday September 6, as the British national tour visits the borough for the first time.
The route will continue through Monmouthshire - culminating in a double ascent of The Tumble, near Abergavenny, which averages 8.2 per cent gradient for five kilometres, and will loop back through Torfaen later that day.
Council Leader Cllr Anthony Hunt said: “It’s exciting to have a stage of the Tour of Britain starting here in Pontypool, travelling through Torfaen and Monmouthshire. What a great opportunity to show off beautiful Pontypool Park and Blaenavon too.
“It will also give local people a great chance to come and see the race, and pay tribute to Welsh legend, Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas in his last professional race.”
To mark Geraint Thomas' last competitive race, the final stage on Sunday September 7, will start from the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales, in Newport, and pass Maindy Velodrome - home of Geriant's former club, the Maindy Flyers Cycling Club.
As part of Wales’ weekend of racing, amateur cyclists can also tackle the final stage of the race on Saturday 6 September, starting and finishing at Newport’s Geraint Thomas Velodrome – one day before the professional competitors.
Further details and the exact routes of both Welsh stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will be published later this month.
Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, said: “The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men never fails to draw a crowd in South Wales, and with the four fantastic locations and two stages falling across a weekend, we are confident that this will make for a really special atmosphere and a fantastic way to round out the race, and crown our 2025 champion.”
The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins in East Suffolk on Tuesday September 2, with legs between Woodbridge and Southwold, Suffolk at Stowmarket, Milton Keynes and Central Bedfordshire, and Warwickshire before the race arrives in Wales.
Welsh Government Minister with responsibility for Sport, Jack Sargeant, said: "We're excited to welcome the Men's Tour of Britain back to Wales once again, an event we have proudly supported over a number of years."
"The Tour has found a successful home in Wales, and each time it returns it showcases our cities, towns, communities and landscapes to an international audience, as well as attracting athletes from all over the world."
Further information on the Lloyds Tour of Britain Ride the Route can be found here.