[ritchiebaby]

The TOB starts off in Kelso in the beautiful Scottish Borders on Tuesday 3 September.

The 181.9kms of Stage 1 starts and ends on the famous Kelso cobbles. The route goes round in two loops all within half an hour of my house, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for me to watch the action. Too many to be honest, but thanks to road closures and the like, I'll be limited to only three.

I'll probably be in Kelso for the start (once again the race will go past Oscar Onley's house), then Melrose for the 6.2% Dingleton Hill climb on the first circuit and finally within half a mile of my house as the riders race back to Kelso for the finish. If the weather is decent I could easily walk to the foot of the Scott's View climb on the second circuit.


Leaving Scotland for the rest of the TOB in England for
Stage 2 Wednesday 4 September - Darlington to Redcar
Stage 3 Thursday 5 September - Sheffield to Barnsley
Stage 4 Friday 6 September - Derby to Newark-on-Trent
Stage 5 Saturday 7 September - Northampton to Northampton
Stage 6 Sunday 8 September - Lowestoft to Felixstowe