The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will run for five stages for the first time, with 635.8 kilometres from Cumbria to Warwickshire and a summit finish above Llandudno at the heart of the race.
Nineteen teams will line up at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women in August, including DAS–Hutchinson, Handsling Alba, O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes, and Smurfit Westrock — the domestic squads whose participation looked in serious doubt when new UCI eligibility rules were published last summer.
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.
Britain’s five women’s Continental squads could be locked out of their own national stage race from 2026, a “slap-in-the-face” consequence of new UCI rules that reserve WorldTour start-lists for WorldTeams and ProTeams only.