The Tour of Britain comes to my stomping (or should that be pedaling?) ground this week.

Friday’s stage 6 from Bath to Hemel Hempstead sees out its closing stages on many of the roads I ride regularly so, if you do fancy going out to cheer on Cav, Wiggo, Kittel, Nicholas Roche et al, I’ve put together a list of what I reckon will be the best places to see them over the final few miles.

Kop Hill

If I weren’t at work on Friday, this is the place I’d choose to watch the race. A category 4 climb averaging 9% over 0.7 miles, it’s the last hill in the race that is likely to represent any meaningful challenge to the pro cyclists.

A typical narrow country lane just outside Princes Risborough, Kop Hill and its neighboring Whiteleaf Hill are two of the standout climbs in our area of the Chilterns. It is one of the few places in the final sections of the day’s racing where spectators will be able to see the cyclists easily, at a slow place, rather than just a blur of wheels and lycra.

The Tour of Britain organisers predict riders will hit Kop Hill between 14.24 and 15.03. It should take them about three minutes to climb the hill (the current Strava KOM is 3min17sec).

Frith Hill or Nashleigh Hill

These two hill climbs either side of Chesham, while not categorised, both hit decent gradients (peaking at 12.6% and 11.2% respectively) and offer another chance to see the peloton on the go-slow.

The Golden Eagle, Ashley Green

If standing on a windswept hill isn’t your sort of thing, then maybe a country pub would be preferable? The Golden Eagle in Ashley Green is seven miles from the finish line and bang on the route, just after the riders have climbed Nashleigh Hill and before they descend into Berkhamsted.

There are two other country pubs with good views of the route in its final stages: Martin’s Pond in Potten End and The Red Lion in Water End.

Brownlow Rd/New Rd

This climb up the back of Berkhamsted Castle is the final ascent of the day before what will no doubt be a bunch sprint finish in Hemel Hempstead.

As you can see from the Strava segment it’s not a particularly challenging climb, but it will be where teams start jostling for position as they prepare to lead out their sprint stars after the descent from Potten End (it's also the first Strava segment that I scored a top 20 placing on...I'm now down to 40th place and after Friday expect to be considerably lower than that!).

The chance to see the riders near the end of the race but not at breakneck speed, combined with its proximity to my office means this is where I’ll be watching the race. They are predicted to hit this climb between 15.01 and 15.45.

Photo credit: Eric the Fish 2014