The route has been confirmed for next month’s Tour of Britain Men’s cycle race stage in Milton Keynes and Central Bedfordshire.

Stage three of the race takes place on Thursday 4 September, with the leg of the race starting in Central Milton Keynes.

A 122.8-kilometre (76.4-mile) leg will run from Milton Keynes to Ampthill, with the route taking in Woburn, Toddington, Barton-le-Clay, and Shefford, and including a spectator friendly double-loop around Northill and Old Warden.

The event starts from Milton Keynes’ Midsummer Boulevard at 11:30, where special activities will be happening for spectators, before crossing Campbell Park and then heading south on grid roads.

Competitors will then leave H7 Chaffron Way for a long stretch on the V10 Brickhill Street, passing the Open University headquarters and the Red Bull Racing headquarters, then head onwards to Woburn Sands and into Central Bedfordshire. The stage finishes in Ampthill town centre at around 14:40.  

The race uses what’s known as ‘rolling road closures’ where roads close for a very short amount of time when the race passes through, minimising any dangers to athletes, officials, spectators and local people. 

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins on Tuesday 2 September with a pair of stages in Suffolk, the first from Woodbridge to Southwold, before a leg starting and finishing in Stowmarket.

Following the Milton Keynes to Ampthill stage, the race features a challenging Warwickshire stage and a brace of stages in south Wales before a final stage between the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport to the Welsh capital, Cardiff, on Sunday 7 September.

Deputy Leader of Milton Keynes City Council, Cllr Lauren Townsend, said, “We’re proud to be hosting the start of this major stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men here in Milton Keynes. Working with our partners, we’re putting together an exciting programme, from fantastic cycling activities to family-friendly events, with something for all ages to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming people from across the city and beyond to cheer on the riders and be part of the day.”