Published: April 3, 2008
Burnham-On-Sea to host prestigious Tour of Britain cycle race

Burnham-On-Sea was officially named as the finishing location for the South West Stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race on Thursday (April 3rd).

Burnham-On-Sea.com exclusively reported in February that our town would be chosen as the final destination for the race on September 9th - and organisers confirmed the story on Thursday (April 3rd).

The race is set to take off from the south of Somerset in Chard and will finish in Burnham in the north of the county.

Full details of the route are being kept under wraps until 28th April when the South West route will be unveiled in full.

However, Somerset County Council has confirmed that this year's race will also be supported by Devon County Council, Exmoor National Park Authority and South Somerset District Council.

The Tour of Britain’s Technical Director, Mick Bennett, said: "Somerset set a new standard for the event" last year when more than 70,000 spectators flocked to see the action at locations around Yeovil, Taunton and Exmoor.

Praising the way that Somerset County Council had worked together to make the day a success, Mick described the stage as "the best day ever seen in British cycle racing, on a par with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia events."

Cllr Jill Shortland, Leader of Somerset County Council, said: "The success of the first ever South West stage of the Tour of Britain exceeded our expectations and we are confident that the 2008 stage will be even better. We took a bold step in securing a stage of the race for Somerset and that decision has created immense benefits for the county. The impact it has had on the local economy, the profile it has created for our county and the promotion of cycling is indeed profound."