Start: Halstead Road, Braintree

Finish: Marine Parade, Clacton-on-Sea

Total distance: 138km/85 miles

Stage two kicks off in Braintree, Essex, and weaves towards the coast to Clacton-on-Sea.

As per Stage One, the route is rolling, with no significant climbs and a coastal wind which will make breakaways tough.

With a second sea front finish, and nowhere to hide from Brightlingsea to Clacton-on-Sea, a sprint conclusion is likely. Of course, we’ll have to wait until Thursday to see if anyone has the legs to contradict us.

The race starts at 10am, in Halstead Road, Braintree. The riders will roll out to Halstead, heading through Sudbury and Hadleigh, roads that will be familiar to riders tho competed in the 2014 edition.

The first QOM climb comes in at 19 miles, on Finch Hill in Sudbury. The lead cars signalling the arrival of the first riders are expected at around 10:45 if you want to watch and the climb is around half a mile long.

The first Chain Reaction Cycles Sprint takes place quite a way into the race, in Kirby Le Soken, at 59 miles outside the school on Elm Tree Avenue. It’s atop a slight incline so could be an exciting explosion to watch, and lead cars, then riders, will approach at around 12.30.

Only 10 miles later, at 69 miles, sprint number two will test the pelotons biggest hitters at Great Bentley, in Weeley Road, at around 1pm.

The final competition before the big sprint moment will be the second QOM climb, at  Tenpenny Hill around 76 miles in. The climb is just over half a mile, and the lead car will come through around 1.20pm.

The best seats in the house will be at Marine parade, in Clacton-on-Sea. Cars will come through at about 1.40pm and we’re expecting the finish sometime around 2.20pm.

 

See Stage One at Home

If you can’t get to the roadside, you can catch the highlights on ITV, from 8-9pm, or tune into the Aviva Tour YouTube channel, or follow the live updates from our TWC Twitter feed.

Want to know more? Get all the essential Women’s Tour info here.