Excitement is building ahead of the Tour of Britain cycling race, which visits the Cotswolds next month.
Stage six of the event is taking place on Friday, September 9 from Tewkesbury and Gloucester, with riders set to pass through Cirencester and Tetbury along the 170.9km route.
The race will begin in front of St Mary’s Abbey Church on Church Street, in Tewkesbury at 11am, and head east into the Cotswolds before heading south.
Riders will tackle Withington Hill before reaching the A429.
The route goes onto Welsh Way and Whiteway before entering Cirencester via Grove Lane, London Road, Lewis Lane, Querns Lane, Sheep Street and Somerford Road, and leaving via Chesterton Lane and Stroud Road. The race will head into a sprint section going west towards Minchinhampton before turning south through Avening and Tetbury.
Residents are encouraged to cheer the riders on at the roadside as it passes by their doorstep.
Riders are expected to pass through Cirencester at about 12.40pm, and reach Tetbury around 1.15pm. Depending on conditions and the speed of the race, the actual times could be up to 10-15 minutes earlier or later.
Most of the race will operate a rolling road closure, meaning roads will only be closed for around 30 minutes while the race passes through.
Full road closures will be in operation at the start in Tewkesbury and the finish in Gloucester.
'Tour puts spotlight on Gloucestershire'
Cllr David Gray, Cabinet member responsible for the environment at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “The Tour of Britain will put the spotlight on Gloucestershire and showcase our fantastic county on the national and global stage.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the related road closures, but would encourage residents across the county to take the opportunity to watch as some of the world’s best cyclists race through our county.”
The Tour of Britain comes to the county just months after the Women’s Tour raced from Tewkesbury to Gloucester, this time via the Forest of Dean.
It is the first time either race has held both a stage start and finish in Gloucestershire.
More information is available at tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/stage-six
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