The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men passed through East Lindsey on Thursday 3 September, with Stage 2 running 180.2km from Boston to Skegness via Louth, Horncastle, Alford and Wainfleet. Tim Merlier won the stage sprint on the Skegness seafront, ahead of Olav Kooij and Sam Bennett, while Britain’s Lewis Askey held onto the overall race lead.
East Lindsey District Council marked the route with large-scale land art, giving the riders a distinctly local send-off along the way.
For a few hours, the district had a front-row seat to elite cycling.
East Lindsey Puts On a Show for the Lloyds Tour of Britain
Thursday (September 3rd) wasn’t an ordinary Thursday in East Lindsey. The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men rolled through the district, and for a few hours, roadside verges, market towns and coastal streets had a very different rhythm to them.
Stage 2 covered 180.2km from Boston to Skegness, cutting through Woodhall Spa, Horncastle, Binbrook, Utterby, Louth, Alford and Wainfleet before finishing on the seafront. World-class riders racing flat out through roads most of us drive every week doesn’t happen often. For a lot of people watching, that was the appeal. Familiar lanes, suddenly full of colour and noise and speed.
A Different Kind of Thursday across East Lindsey
People gathered along verges, in town centres and around the finish area, waiting for a glimpse of the peloton. And when it came, it came fast. One minute there was chat and anticipation. The next, riders, team cars and support vehicles had swept past, gone almost as quickly as they’d arrived.
The route wasn’t a straight dash to the coast either. It moved through historic market towns, out onto Wolds roads, then into coastal communities before reaching Grand Parade. Officially the flattest stage of the five-day race, but with 873 metres of climbing and some exposed, windy roads, there was still plenty to keep riders honest.
The Finish in Skegness
The day ended the way sprint stages usually do. Fast, tight, decided in the final few hundred metres.
Belgian rider Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step took the stage, just ahead of Olav Kooij, with Sam Bennett close behind in third. British rider Lewis Askey came through safely in the leading group and kept hold of the overall race lead. That made the finish more than ceremonial. It was a real contest, played out in front of local crowds who’d come to watch the fastest riders in the field fight for the line.
More Than a Race Passing Through
Big sporting events bring television cameras and pro teams into an area, but they give local people something else too, a shared day out that breaks up the usual calendar. Kids watching from the roadside may have had their first close look at elite sport. Regular cyclists got a reminder that their weekly routes can, once in a while, carry an international field. And for businesses along the way, it was a reason to welcome a few more faces than usual.
East Lindsey District Council marked the occasion with large-scale land art along the route, a distinctly local touch that kept the district’s countryside and communities front and centre, rather than treating it as a stretch of road between two towns.
A Day in East Lindsey Worth Remembering
The Tour has moved on, but the pictures stick around. Crowds three and four deep on the verges. Flags and bikes propped outside houses and shops. The peloton rushing through the Wolds. A fast, tense finish by the sea.
East Lindsey wasn’t just on the route that day. It was part of the event, and it gave people across the district a reason to come out, watch something a bit different, and see their own patch of Lincolnshire from a different angle.
Tour of Britain in East Lindsey: Your Questions Answered
Did the Tour of Britain go through Louth?
Yes, Louth was on the Stage 2 route of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men on Thursday 3 September. The stage ran 180.2km from Boston to Skegness, passing through Louth along with Woodhall Spa, Horncastle, Binbrook, Utterby, Alford and Wainfleet.
What was the route for the Tour of Britain Stage 2 in Lincolnshire?
Stage 2 travelled from Boston to Skegness, taking in Woodhall Spa, Horncastle, Binbrook, Utterby, Louth, Alford and Wainfleet before finishing at Grand Parade in Skegness. The route showed off the Wolds, open countryside and coastline across East Lindsey.
Who won the Skegness stage of the Tour of Britain?
Belgian rider Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step won the sprint finish in Skegness, ahead of Olav Kooij in second and Sam Bennett in third. British rider Lewis Askey finished safely in the leading group and kept hold of the overall race lead.
How long was the Boston to Skegness stage and was it hilly?
The stage covered 180.2km and was officially the flattest of the five day race. It still included 873 metres of climbing and exposed, windy roads that made the run in to Skegness harder than the flat profile suggests.
Did East Lindsey do anything special to mark the Tour of Britain?
East Lindsey District Council installed large-scale land art along the route to give the riders a distinctly local welcome. It put the district’s countryside and communities at the centre of the event rather than treating the area as a simple stretch of road on the way to the coast.