Route for 2026 Tour of Britain Women announced

The host venues for the 2026 Tour of Britain women's cycling race have been announced.

Warwickshire, which has previously staged five editions of the women's race, will host the fifth and final stage of the UCI Women's WorldTour event.

The climax will take place in Leamington Spa on 23 August.

Earlier stages will see the route travel through Cockermouth, Blackpool, Llandudno and Hay‑on‑Wye.

Leamington Spa last featured as a stage finish in 2017 and 2018, when Australians Chloe Hosking and Sarah Roy took victory.

Jonathan Day, director of events for British Cycling Ventures, said the 2026 edition offers "a huge opportunity to create a real festival of cycling".

"For the first time, there is parity in the number of stages with the men's race a few weeks later, so it is a huge opportunity to create a real festival of cycling, with the women's race kick-starting a brilliant few weeks of elite racing," he said.

British Cycling claimed the 2025 Lloyds Tours of Britain generated £62.3m for host regions.

The organisation's partnership with Warwickshire County Council aims to strengthen cycling and tourism links in the area through major events such as the women's tour, a spokesperson added.

The race opens in Cockermouth before heading through the Ribble Valley to Blackpool.

Two Welsh stages follow, from Mold to the Great Orme and from Llanidloes to Hay‑on‑Wye, before the overall winner is crowned in Warwickshire.

2026 stages:

• Cockermouth – Cockermouth
• Clitheroe – Blackpool
• Mold – Great Orme, Llandudno
• Llanidloes – Hay‑on‑Wye
• Royal Leamington Spa – Royal Leamington Spa

Further details, including full route maps for both the women's and men's races, will be released in the coming weeks, officials said.

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