A Great Orme summit finish for the expanded Tour of Britain Women
British Cycling has revealed the host venues for the women's race: a five-stage route from Cockermouth to Royal Leamington Spa, taking in Lancashire and two days in Wales, with a summit finish on the Great Orme.
The Great Orme has settled a Tour of Britain before: it was where Julian Alaphilippe and Wout van Aert went head to head in 2021. In 2026 the headland above Llandudno returns to the race—and this time it falls to the women. A summit finish on the Orme is the centrepiece of the third of five stages, the most the Tour of Britain Women has held since British Cycling took the race over.
British Cycling has named the host venues for the women’s race, confirming a five-stage route across England and Wales. It opens in Cockermouth, in western Cumbria, on Wednesday 19 August—the first time the women’s race has visited the town—and ends with the general classification settled in Royal Leamington Spa on Sunday 23 August, where Warwickshire stages the overall finish for the first time.
Stage 5 (Sunday 23 August): Royal Leamington Spa–Royal Leamington Spa
From the Cumbrian opener, the race crosses into Lancashire for a stage from Clitheroe through the Ribble Valley to Blackpool, before two days in Wales: Mold to the Great Orme on Friday, then Llanidloes to Hay-on-Wye on Saturday. The Welsh double-header, and the climb to the Orme in particular, gives the route its difficulty and its likely general-classification battleground before the finish in Warwickshire.
The men’s peloton climbs the Great Orme in 2021. Image: SWpix.com
It is the first time the women’s race has run to five stages, drawing level with the men’s. Jonathan Day, Director of Events for British Cycling Ventures, said the matched stage counts offered the chance to build “a real festival of cycling”. The women’s race opens the late-summer block, a fortnight before the men’s Tour sets off from Lincoln on 2 September.
Several hosts bring their own history. Mark Cavendish won on the Blackpool seafront in 2012 in the rainbow jersey of world champion, while Royal Leamington Spa staged women’s stage finishes in 2017 and 2018 without previously hosting a general-classification finale.
The race arrives off a 2025 edition won by Ally Wollaston ahead of Britain’s Cat Ferguson, decided on the final stage in Glasgow. Lotte Kopecky took the 2024 race, winning on the Llandudno promenade—a flatter finish than the climb to the Orme that awaits this year.
The announcement points ahead, too. Three of this year’s host areas—Cumberland, Lancashire and Powys—are also due to stage parts of the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ, with Welshpool hosting a stage start on 4 July 2027. British Cycling has framed the women’s race as an early taste of what is coming.
Detailed stage routes will follow in the coming weeks, British Cycling said. The governing body, citing research by GSIQ, put the cumulative economic impact of the 2025 Tours at £62.3 million across their 10 stages.
For now, the women’s race has its biggest canvas yet under the Tour of Britain banner—five days, two countries and a summit finish—and a route that looks built to be raced hard.
The Great Orme has settled a Tour of Britain before: it was where Julian Alaphilippe and Wout van Aert went head to head in 2021. In 2026 the headland above Llandudno returns to the race—and this time it falls to the women. A summit finish on the Orme is the centrepiece of the third of five stages, the most the Tour of Britain Women has held since British Cycling took the race over.
British Cycling has named the host venues for the women’s race, confirming a five-stage route across England and Wales. It opens in Cockermouth, in western Cumbria, on Wednesday 19 August—the first time the women’s race has visited the town—and ends with the general classification settled in Royal Leamington Spa on Sunday 23 August, where Warwickshire stages the overall finish for the first time.
The five stages are:
From the Cumbrian opener, the race crosses into Lancashire for a stage from Clitheroe through the Ribble Valley to Blackpool, before two days in Wales: Mold to the Great Orme on Friday, then Llanidloes to Hay-on-Wye on Saturday. The Welsh double-header, and the climb to the Orme in particular, gives the route its difficulty and its likely general-classification battleground before the finish in Warwickshire.
It is the first time the women’s race has run to five stages, drawing level with the men’s. Jonathan Day, Director of Events for British Cycling Ventures, said the matched stage counts offered the chance to build “a real festival of cycling”. The women’s race opens the late-summer block, a fortnight before the men’s Tour sets off from Lincoln on 2 September.
Several hosts bring their own history. Mark Cavendish won on the Blackpool seafront in 2012 in the rainbow jersey of world champion, while Royal Leamington Spa staged women’s stage finishes in 2017 and 2018 without previously hosting a general-classification finale.
The race arrives off a 2025 edition won by Ally Wollaston ahead of Britain’s Cat Ferguson, decided on the final stage in Glasgow. Lotte Kopecky took the 2024 race, winning on the Llandudno promenade—a flatter finish than the climb to the Orme that awaits this year.
The announcement points ahead, too. Three of this year’s host areas—Cumberland, Lancashire and Powys—are also due to stage parts of the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ, with Welshpool hosting a stage start on 4 July 2027. British Cycling has framed the women’s race as an early taste of what is coming.
Detailed stage routes will follow in the coming weeks, British Cycling said. The governing body, citing research by GSIQ, put the cumulative economic impact of the 2025 Tours at £62.3 million across their 10 stages.
For now, the women’s race has its biggest canvas yet under the Tour of Britain banner—five days, two countries and a summit finish—and a route that looks built to be raced hard.
Featured image: SWpix.com
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