Watch council chief testing out Tour of Britain route through Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire County Council's chief executive Anthony May put pedal to the metal to sample the course for this weekend's Tour of Britain stage in the county.
Nottinghamshire County Council Chief Executive Anthony MayNottinghamshire County Council Chief Executive Anthony May
Nottinghamshire County Council Chief Executive Anthony May

The seventh stage of the Ovo Energy event will pass through Nottinghamshire tomorrow (Saturday), beginning in West Bridgford and ending in Mansfield.

And Anthony spent three days cycling the route in wind, torrential rain and sunshine to get a taste of what the riders, including Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, have to look forward to.

Nottinghamshire County Council Chief Executive Anthony MayNottinghamshire County Council Chief Executive Anthony May
Nottinghamshire County Council Chief Executive Anthony May

He said: "Cycling the Tour of Britain route through Nottinghamshire was a great way to see the county. The Tour of Britain is a fantastic event which will be attended by hundreds of thousands of people, giving them the chance to see top cyclists such as Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome. The race will be a good showcase for the county council and shows Nottinghamshire in its best light."I cycle two or three times a week in the spring and summer and once a week during the winter period, so I am used to cycling, but 215km over three days was clearly a long way but very enjoyable."I got to see so much of our wonderful Nottinghamshire landscape and landmarks from a cyclist's perspective, and a lot of things that you would not see travelling in a car.“The countryside between Southwell and Retford was particularly memorable and there were some steep hills including Bank Hill at Calverton and Oxton Bank. I didn't sprint along the sprint sections of the route - but I am sure the professional cyclists will enjoy those sprints!

This is the third time in four years that the Tour of Britain has come to Nottinghamshire.

Along the way, the riders will be able to take in key landmarks in the county including:

Anthony May at the end of the route.Anthony May at the end of the route.
Anthony May at the end of the route.

* The new £5 million Sherwood Forest Visitor CEntre

* Newstead Abbey

* Clumber Park

* Retford’s Mayflower Pilgrims Visitor Centre* Rufford Abbey County Park* Trent Bridge Cricket Ground

The circuit will take in dozens of towns and villages including: Ruddington, Cotgrave, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Lowdham, Southwell, Retford, Worksop and Hucknall. The route features three designated climbs in Keyworth, Bank Hill at Dorket Head and Oxton Hill with the riders who gets the best results on these being able to claim the King of the Mountains jersey.And the Sprints jersey will be worn by the rider who picks up most points in the three intermediate sprints at Retford, Worksop and Bilsthorpe.