East Suffolk Council

Tour of Britain

The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men is back this September, and for the first time ever, the entire final stage will take place right here within East Suffolk!

It will mark the seventh edition of the men’s Tour to have visited Suffolk, and it will also be the first time that the county has hosted the prestigious final stage – with the last day of Britain’s biggest professional cycle race getting underway in Lowestoft and finishing in Felixstowe on Sunday 8 September.

Since its return in 2004, the Tour of Britain has become a cornerstone of the UK sporting calendar. More than 15 million people have watched the event in person, with the race generating over £330m for the UK economy to date.

Route

Full details and a map of the stage route, which will start from the seafront in Lowestoft and take in many roads, villages, and towns familiar to the peloton from previous Suffolk stages.

Stage six spectator guide, including detailed route and timings.

Tour of Britain Celebration - Lowestoft

The Tour of Britain Men starts in Lowestoft and to mark the occasion, First Light Festival and East Point Pavilion are holding a day of celebration on Sunday 8 September on Royal Green. Come along to watch the race begin on the promenade and then stay to enjoy activities for all ages, live entertainment and workshops.

Love Felixstowe

Supported by East Suffolk Council, Felixstowe BID and Felixstowe Town Council are organising the Love Felixstowe festival, taking place on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 September to help build up to the stage finish of this year’s Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men.

Details of activities taking place at the start in Lowestoft and finish in Felixstowe.

Travel information

Details of all road closures and parking suspensions in East Suffolk, as well as information on getting to Lowestoft and Felixstowe to enjoy the race.

Speedy Sprinter bike trail

Designed as a sticker collection book, Speedy Sprinter and the Big Bad Bike brings back Speedy the racing bike and nine other colourful cycling characters in an exciting new story written by local author Jenny Edgerley to celebrate the return of the Tour of Britain Men. People can collect a free Speedy Sprinter sticker book from participating shops and businesses in towns across East Suffolk, hunt for the Speedy Sprinter characters hidden in shop windows and collect stickers to complete the story. 

News

• Land art to be created by Felixstowe children (5 September 2024)
• Activities in Lowestoft and Felixstowe to celebrate Tour of Britain (2 September 2024)
• Travel information ahead of the Tour of Britain Men (30 August 2024)
• Speedy Sprinter is back! Bike trail returns to East Suffolk towns (21 August 2024)
• East Suffolk stage route confirmed for Tour of Britain Men (6 August 2024)
• Suffolk to host final stage of 2024 Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men in September (10 July 2024)

Businesses

We would love to see as many local businesses and organisations as possible showing their support for the Tour when it comes to East Suffolk this September. To help, we've created a pack of social media images for you to share through your social media channels, as well as posters which you can download and display in your shop or business windows. 

If your business is taking part in the Speedy Sprinter bike trail, social media graphics are also available in the pack. 

Tour of Britain Men 2024 media packs for businesses

How else can my business support the Tour?

As well as displaying the above posters in your windows and sharing the images on your social media, there are lots of other ways which East Suffolk businesses can show support for the Tour of Britain Men. These include: 

• Decorate your business window with bunting and bike themed accessories.
• Offer event-specific promotions or discounts.
• Create special bike-themed goods to offer on the day.
• Create live demos or tasting sessions on the day.
• Hold a competition to interest customers.
• Host a workshop or showcase your products – take advantage of the number of people in your town centre.
• Engage in social media – let us know what you are up to so we can share! If you tag in East Suffolk Council and/or East Suffolk Means Business, we can share your hard work on our own channels.  

What does the Tour bring to East Suffolk?

An Economic Impact Report, produced by Suffolk Growth, revealed that over 113,000 spectators lined the 192.4km route of last year’s stage through the county, with an estimated 53% of these coming to see the event from outside of the local area and 89% pledging to visit the area again. The local hospitality industry also benefited with an estimated 9,500 attendees enjoying overnight stays.

30% of spectators cycled to the event with 52% inspired to cycle more often as a direct result of watching the race, supporting Suffolk’s ambition to get more residents cycling and benefiting from the physical and mental wellbeing it can provide.