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From North Wales to Manchester: Tour of Britain Women announces route for 2024 race
2024 marks the welcomed return for Britain’s elite women’s stage-race. A staple on the Women’s WorldTour calendar, the Tour of Britain Women will take the riders on a four-day trip around England and Wales in the quest for the coveted leader’s jersey.
A tumultuous 2023 saw the Women’s Tour cancelled due to a lack of funding. However, the race is back and now under a new alias, the Tour of Britain Women, which will take place on 6th-9th June, with the men’s race on 3rd-8th September. This comes in the midst of a big reshuffle at British Cycling HQ as they restructure their approach to the flagship Tour of Britain races.
Women’s cycling in the UK has only grown in the past years, with strong British representation on the WorldTour level and a new crop of British races including the Women’s World Tour Ride London Classique.
The route
A Welsh-centric route characterises the revamped Tour of Britain Women in 2024. Playing host to the race for the fourth time, Wales will be front and centre, hosting half of the stages on offer. A Grand Départ in the small town of Welshpool accentuates this understated list of host-towns and cities. Filled with familiar names from Tours of Britain gone by, the 2024 parcours offers something for the sprinters and puncheurs.
This year’s Tour of Britain Women route will feature a total of four road stages — three of which have been teased as hilly affairs by the race organisers. There is no time-trial on offer in this race, but the winner crowned in Leigh will have to be a hardy all-rounder to say the least.
Stage 1: Thursday 6 June 2024, Welshpool – Llandudno
The opening stage of the Tour of Britain Women will begin in Welshpool, Montgomeryshire. The town situated in central Wales has hosted the race before, back in 2022 when the race was simply known as ‘The Women’s Tour’.
From the flag drop, the race will venture deep into the North Welsh countryside, offering a tough opening day of racing for the women’s peloton. The stage will conclude in the seaside town of Llandudno. The option may be there for some climbing in the final phase of the race, making for a challenging finale on the Welsh coastline.
Stage 2: Friday 7 June 2024, Wrexham – Wrexham
Remaining in Wales for day two, a stage looped around Wrexham will be at stake. Now known for its Hollywood football team, the Welsh border town will host a stage for the second time in the history of the women’s race. A tough profile has been suggested by the organisers, hinting at a rolling stage around the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB.
Stage 3: Saturday 8 June 2024, Warrington – Warrington
The third stage will see the riders move into England with a stage starting and finishing in Warrington. The Cheshire town will play host to the first flat stage of the Tour of Britain Women, allowing the chance for the sprinters to claim a rare World Tour stage win.
Stage 4: Sunday 9 June 2024: Manchester – Leigh
The riders will roll out of the National Track Centre in Manchester. Nestled in the east of the city, a stone’s throw away from the Etihad Stadium and the new Co-Op Live arena, the stage will allow the riders to touch base at the home of British Cycling.
The final stage will then tackle a hilly profile as the course negotiates its way around Manchester, taking in the climbs surrounding the redbrick city. After some uphill tests, the stage, and the race as a whole, will conclude in Leigh – just outside of Wigan.
‘Four competitive and challenging routes’
Rod Ellingworth, who was appointed Tour of Britain Race Director after leaving Ineos Grenadiers in the off-season, said, ‘It’s been a monumental effort by the whole team over the past 10 weeks to confirm the stages for this year’s Tour of Britain Women. The race will take in four competitive and challenging routes, some challenging climbing in Wales and what I’m sure will be brilliant crowds on the roadside throughout.’
In response to the route reveal this afternoon, Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) said, ‘It’s always special to race in Britain, and I’m so pleased to have two top level stage races to look forward to on home soil as I ramp up my preparations for a busy summer ahead.’
The Tour of Britain Women 2024 will take place from Thursday 6th June to Sunday 10th June. Stay up to date will all our updates over on our Tour of Britain hub
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