Exciting news for cycling fans… The prestigious Tour of Britain cycle race will return to Caerphilly for a third time in 2013 on Thursday 19th September for the finale to Stage 5 of the tour.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Tour of Britain organisers are hoping to make this year’s race the best yet with a record number of teams taking part, which will see 114 of the Worlds best riders battling 8 challenging stages between the 15th and 22nd September.

Stage 5 will see riders depart from Machnylleth at 11am on a testing 177km course through the length of Wales, to its finale in Caerphilly, which is set to be the most challenging part of the Welsh element of the tour.

Estimated Arrival Times
The tour is expected to enter the county borough between 2.20pm – 3pm with its arrival in Deri and will then make the descent to Caerphilly passing Bargoed (2.24pm – 3.06pm) and then through Glan Y Nant & Tir-y-Berth (2.28pm – 2.51pm) before embarking on the Yodel Sprint through Ystrad Mynach (2.34pm – 3.19pm) and then onto Llanbradach (2.36pm – 3.21pm).

Riders will enter Caerphilly at Pontygwindy Road (2.41pm – 3.27pm) making their ascent against the flow of traffic up Cardiff Road, embarking on the first testing ‘Skoda King of the Mountains’ climb up Caerphilly Mountain (2.43pm – 3.30pm).

The 114 professional riders, which include Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish will then descend at astonishing speeds down the rear of the mountain leading them onto Watford Road (2.47pm – 3.34pm) where they will be looking to put pace between themselves and the competition as they give spectators at the finish line a sneak peak soaring through Nantgarw Road (2.50pm – 3.37pm).

Riders will then begin the incline up Castle Street (2.53pm – 3.41pm) and tackle the final agonising climb of Caerphilly Mountain (2.53pm – 3.41pm).

Upon passing the Caerphilly Mountain Snack Bar (2.56pm – 3.45pm), riders will plummet down Watford Road at almighty speeds setting them up for a dramatic 3 mile finish, taking them around the Penrhos roundabout (2.59pm – 3.49pm), past Castle Park roundabout (3pm – 3.50pm) and onto Nantgarw Road (3.01pm – 3.51pm) for the final 1km sprint to the finish on Crescent Road, estimated to be between 3.02pm – 3.53pm.

For further information on the Tour of Britain please visit their website www.tourofbritain.co.uk