Tour of Britain in Essex: Timings and route of the sixth stage

The previous stage of the tour finished in Felixstowe on Thursday

The cycling world focuses on Essex later as it hosts the sixth stage of the Tour of Britain, with the men's elite cycle race starting in Southend and finishing in Harlow.

What is the Tour of Britain?

The event is the UK's biggest professional cycle race.

With a worldwide television audience of more than 30 million and an anticipated 1.4 million roadside spectators, the race is Britain's largest free-to-attend sporting event. It is credited with contributing £19m to the UK economy, organisers say.

It started in Greater Manchester on Sunday. It finishes next Sunday in south Wales. Stages are being held in Wrexham, Nottinghamshire and East Yorkshire. Dutchman Olav Kooij is the clear front-runner.

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It is the first time Southend has welcomed the modern tour.

Crowds lined the streets for the stage finishing in Feixstowe

The city has a long association with the sport. It hosted stages of the Milk Race in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

The event's visit to the resort comes as Southend Wheelers, a popular local club, celebrates its 100th birthday.

What are the timings?

Friday's Essex stage will set off from Western Esplanade on Southend seafront at 11:45 BST.

The first finishers are expected to reach Harlow at about 15:07.

What is the route?

The Essex stage will cover nearly 91 miles (146km).

After rolling out from Southend, the riders will loop around Rochford, South Woodham Ferrers and Burnham-on-Crouch.

The course then heads west to Harlow, initially running parallel to the River Blackwater, and then through Ingatestone.

The course from Southend to Harlow is nearly 91 miles

Organisers have released approximate timings for locations along the stage, which include:

• Southend - Western Esplanade (11:45)

• Rochford (12:09)

• South Woodham Ferrers (12:49)

• Burnham-on-Crouch (13:12)

• Southminster (13:17)

• Bradwell-on-Sea (13:31)

• Stock (14:25)

• Ingatestone (14:34)

• Blackmore (14:43)

• North Weald Bassett (15:06)

• Harlow - Third Avenue (15:28)

Full route details and timings are available here.

Which riders should I look out for?

Spain's Gonzalo Serrano is the defending champion, racing for Movistar Team. Belgium's Jumbo-Visma rider Wout van Aert, won in 2021, and finished second in Sunday's stage in Manchester. Dutchman Olav Kooij, 21, who also rides for Jumbo-Visma, won the first four stages of the 2023 race, equalling a Tour of Britain record.

Britain's Tom Pidcock, who rode this year's Tour de France, will also take part for Ineos Grenadiers.

Wout van Aert of team Jumbo-Visma celebrated after winning stage five of the 2023 Tour of Britain, becoming the overall leader

Among 24 other British riders are Jacob Scott (Bolton Equities Black Spoke), newly-crowned track world champion Ethan Vernon (Great Britain), and Tour de Yorkshire stage winner Harry Tanfield (TDT - Unibet Cycling Team).

A full list of entrants is available here.

How will it affect the roads?

Since 21 August, parking suspension signs have been positioned in areas where on-street restrictions will apply for the event.

The race operates with rolling road closures for about 15 minutes prior to the estimated time of arrival until approximately 10 minutes after the last rider has passed.

More details on road closures are available here.

Where does the Tour go next?

After Essex, the Tour moves to Gloucestershire for stage seven, which covers 106 miles (170km) from Gloucester to Tewkesbury.

How can I watch?

The race is held on public roads, meaning there are plenty of places to see the action.

Some of the best views will be on long, straight sections as they allow spectators to see riders approaching.

Organisers say the first 40 miles (65km) of the race around Rochford, South Woodham Ferrers, and Burnham-on-Crouch, may give fans a chance to see the peloton at multiple locations.

Anyone wanting to watch at the roadside is asked to avoid parking on the race route, in laybys or on road verges in order to avoid getting in the way of the peloton.