Hucknall not included in route of this year's Nottinghamshire stage of Tour of Britain

The Tour of Britain will not take in Hucknall when the event returns to Nottinghamshire in September.

Some of the world's top cyclists will race through the county on Thursday, September 8, when it hosts the fifth stage of the event.

However, unlike the two previous occasions when the Tour has appeared in Nottinghamshire, in 2017 and 2018, the route will not see the competitors pass through Hucknall town centre.

The news comes as Nottinghamshire County Council revealed the 190km route which won't include any areas in the Districts of Ashfield or Broxtowe.

Instead, the stage will begin on Central Avenue in West Bridgford, and end outside Mansfield's Civic Centre on Chesterfield Road South.

It marks the return to Notts of one of the biggest annual events in the sport, four years after the county last hosted a stage.

This year's stage will pass through East Leake, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Calverton, Southwell, Retford and Worksop, as well the recently-opened Colliery Way – formerly known as the Gedling Access Road.

The route, which works out at about 118 miles, will also take in some of the county's key landmarks including the legendary Sherwood Forest and the iconic Trent Bridge cricket ground.

The Nottinghamshire stage attracted thousands of spectators to the county in 2018 to mark what Nottinghamshire County Council described as the biggest sporting event in the county's history.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service ahead of the 2022 stage's confirmation, Councillor John Cottee (Con), chairman of the communities committee, said the county will be "buzzing" when the event returns.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I'm a big sports fan and it's one of the biggest events we've ever held.

"2018 was a bumper year, bringing in a large amount of tourism to us and a record number of people out on the streets cheering it on.

"To see it's coming back again this year, after all the trials and tribulations of Covid, I can't wait to see it happen. It's really going to be buzzing.

"It means hotels bring used, it means people coming for the day who all want something to eat, to find a nice spot to see it all.

"Some of the villages it's going through will put on community events and will be working with primary schools to make sure they have a good day.

"I'm buzzing for it, it's one of the best things that happens in Nottinghamshire."

Cllr Cottee was joined at County Hall by members of the Ribble cycling team, including Nottinghamshire-based cyclists Ross Lamb and Ollie Peckover.

Ollie told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The route goes through the village I live in, it starts three miles down the road from where I live and I've been to watch the start before myself.

"It's going to be mad to be actually riding along these roads. When [the Tour] has been through the region before, everyone comes out to watch and will have banners out.

"It creates a really good environment for you to go through and the crowds here are among some of the best I've seen."

The event in September will be the second time a stage has started in West Bridgford and concluded in Mansfield, having followed a similar route in 2018. The tour also started a stage in Mansfield in 2017.

Andy Abrahams (Lab), Mansfield's mayor, welcomed the return of the event and said there will be a "festival finale".

He said: "Mansfield was keen to support Nottinghamshire County Council and district councils to secure the Tour of Britain for a third time, and the opportunity to host a stage finish once more in our district.

"With support from the Towns Fund, we will be able to have a festival finale at the Civic Centre.

"We're looking forward to giving the tour the warmest of Mansfield welcomes again."

The eight-stage 2022 tour starts in Aberdeen on Sunday September 4 before heading through Scotland, the north east, north Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset, finishing on the Isle of Wight on Sunday, September 11.

Live TV coverage of the event, which could include Tour de France stage winners, Olympians and world champions, will be aired on ITV4 and around the world.