Tour of Britain: Stage three preview!

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The first stage of the 2022 Tour of Britain is a history-maker for North-East cities Durham and Sunderland. Stage three will see the Tour of Britain visit new ground as Durham hosts the starting point, while Sunderland will also take in the Tour for the first time under its modern guise – although the city did welcome the Milk Race several times.

Heading through the North Pennines, the riders will be spoiled by the scenery as they race east through County Durham, before travelling north to the finish in Sunderland city centre.

Barnard Castle, where the riders will pass through during stage three of the Tour of Britain 2022.

What is the route?

Leaving the start line at St. Mary’s College, part of Durham University, the riders head west for 30km before hitting the first sprint stage of the day in the North Pennines. While the moorlands of the Pennines are recognised as an Area of Natural Beauty, this is far from a leisurely scenic stroll, and this becomes abundantly clear a quarter of the way through stage three. Here, the riders tackle Chapel Fell, a category one climb which hits a 15% gradient for the last kilometre. From there, the riders head south-east towards Barnard Castle and then up towards the second mountains stage, a category two climb that brings an end to a tough first half of the race.

Then it’s east for around 20km before hitting the second and third sprint stages in quick succession past Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill. From there, the peloton heads north towards a final category three climb at High Moorsley, after which, it’s a 20km race into Sunderland city centre and the finish line just outside of the new-look City Hall.

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