The host venues for the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women have been revealed by event organiser British Cycling Ventures. The elite cycling event is scheduled to start in Cockermouth, Cumbria, on Wednesday August 19, 2026, before concluding in Royal Leamington Spa for the overall finish on Sunday August 23, 2026.
The 2026 edition, which forms part of the prestigious UCI Women’s WorldTour, will make a first-ever visit to Cockermouth for the opening stage of the five-day race. The peloton will then embark on stages across Lancashire, North and Mid Wales, before reaching its final destination in Warwickshire, which plays host to the overall finish of the race for the first time.
Cockermouth will open the 2026 women’s race with a challenging route through western Cumbria, starting and finishing in the market town. Stage two will see the riders travel from Clitheroe through the Ribble Valley to the seaside resort of Blackpool.
North and Mid Wales will then host two stages on Friday and Saturday, running from Mold to the Great Orme in Llandudno, and from Llanidloes to Hay–on–Wye. The General Classification will ultimately be decided in Warwickshire, where Royal Leamington Spa will host both the start and finish on August 23, 2026.
Jonathan Day, Director of Events for British Cycling Ventures, said “We are excited to be bringing the prestigious Lloyds Tour of Britain Women to these fantastic locations in August. For the first time, there is parity in the number of stages with the men’s race a couple of 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 world class road racing.
“We are bringing new hosts and stages in Mold, Llanidloes, and Hay–on–Wye, and it is fantastic to return to previous hosts of the Tour in Cockermouth, Clitheroe, Blackpool, Llandudno and Leamington Spa, bringing real variety to each of the stages as we head across England and Wales.
“On behalf of British Cycling Ventures, I would like to say a huge thank you to our partners across the five stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this August’s landmark race and enabling us to bring a memorable and action packed five days of world class racing to their communities, spreading the joy of cycling along the route, and inspiring more people to get on a bike and live healthier lives.”
The full list of stages for the 2026 event includes:
Stage 1: Cockermouth – Cockermouth
Stage 2: Clitheroe – Blackpool
Stage 3: Mold – The Great Orme, Llandudno
Stage 4: Llanidloes – Hay–on–Wye
Stage 5: Royal Leamington Spa – Royal Leamington Spa
This will be the first time Cumberland Council has hosted a modern-day Lloyds Tour of Britain Women’s stage, marking a milestone moment for the region. Cumbria as a county has a history of hosting major bike racing, bringing 12 previous stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men to the area, with the last occasion occurring in 2021. The town of Cockermouth has experienced the buzz of race day twice before, hosting the men’s race in 2015 and 2018, the latter of which was a team time trial.
Another region making history by bringing the women’s race to its communities for the first time is Lancashire, with Clitheroe and Blackpool acting as the start and finish hosts respectively for stage two. Clitheroe previously hosted the men’s race in 2015, staging the start of a stage that finished in Colne, which was the last time the Tour visited Lancashire. The county will also host stages of the Tour de France next summer, when Britain welcomes the Grand Départ.
The promenade at Blackpool has seen some of the greats of cycling race to victories, including Sir Mark Cavendish who won a stage in 2012 whilst wearing the rainbow stripes of world champion. Blackpool has hosted three starts and five finishes to the Tour in the modern day, giving it a rich heritage in providing a backdrop to international bike racing.
This will be the first time Mold has hosted the start of a Tour stage and the area’s first time hosting the women’s race, although Flintshire has previously featured in stages of the men’s Tour. Lotte Kopecky was victorious on the promenade in Llandudno back in 2024, the last time the seaside town hosted the finish of a stage. With the Great Orme serving a hilly final ascent for the lead riders, the region provides a challenging course, bringing back memories of 2021 when Julian Alaphilippe and Wout van Aert battled for victory atop the headland in the men’s Tour.
Having previously hosted stages of both the women’s and men’s races in the region since 2010, Powys will once again welcome high-level riding to its roads. Llanidloes and Hay–on–Wye, the latter also famous for the Hay Festival, are brand new to hosting starts and finishes of the Tour. Y Trallwng (Welshpool), Powys is also hosting the start of stage three of the Tour de France Grand Départ in 2027 on Sunday July 4, 2027, so the Lloyds Tour of Britain will serve as a perfect appetiser for the region with world-class bike racing this summer.
The fifth and final stage heads to Warwickshire, which has a long tradition of hosting the Tour, bringing the women’s race to the county on five previous occasions, with its last instalment in 2021 featuring an individual time trial in Atherstone. However, this is the first time Warwickshire will host the finish of the race when the General Classification is settled.
The 2026 race will see a return to Royal Leamington Spa, which has twice hosted the finish to a stage as part of the women’s Tour in both 2017 and 2018, with Australians Chloe Hosking and Sarah Roy victorious on those occasions.
British Cycling research, delivered by GSIQ, reported that the 2025 Lloyds Tours of Britain (men’s and women’s events) delivered an overall cumulative economic impact of £62.3 million to the local areas which hosted the ten stages.
Further announcements, including the detailed routes for the five stages of the women’s and men’s race, will be announced in the coming weeks.
www.tourofbritain.co.uk
www.britishcycling.org.uk
