ROUTES ANNOUNCED FOR THE LLOYDS TOUR OF BRITAIN WOMEN
Compiled using material supplied by British Cycling
The detailed routes for the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, that will see the world’s top pro-cyclists racing through and uniting communities across North Yorkshire, the Tees Valley, the Scottish Borders and Glasgow this June, have today been announced, along with a free to take part in Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival for the final stage.
Riders will face 423.6 kilometres (263.2 miles) of racing across the four stages in the UCI Women’s WorldTour event, which gets underway from Forestry England Dalby in North Yorkshire on Thursday 5 June, for the opening stage to Redcar on the Tees Valley coast.
The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will then make first visits to Hartlepool, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Kelso and Glasgow, with the final stage taking place on a circuit in the heart of the Scottish city.
Following the final leg, fans and cyclists of all ages and abilities will have the chance to take to the same closed road, traffic free, circuit as the world’s best, in the free to take part Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival, building on Glasgow’s cycling legacy, and providing a unique chance to cycle the same route.
Routes for all four stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, including the location of intermediate sprints and Queen of the Mountains climbs, can be found on the individual stage pages of the website here.
Commenting on the line-up of teams, Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, said;
“The announcement of the detailed stage routes marks another waypoint in the build-up to this year’s Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, and one that allows both spectators travelling to the race and the communities lining the stages to start planning their day and how and where they will watch the race. “With the fantastic, world-class line-up of teams that will be racing and the varied terrain across the four stages, fans can look forward to some great action every day, and a very worthy champion being crowned in Glasgow. What is more, those joining us in Glasgow will have the extra special opportunity through the Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival to celebrate the joy of cycling with us and to get on their bikes and ride the circuit first hand after the race.”
Stage One
Stage one on Thursday 5 June will start at 11:30 from outside Forestry England’s visitor centre in Dalby Forest, covering 81.5 kilometres (50.7 miles) across the North York Moors National Park and Tees Valley, before the finish on Coast Road alongside Zetland Park in Redcar. Along the way the stage will pass through Pickering, Hutton-le-Hole, Castleton, and Great Ayton, before crossing into the Tees Valley and Redcar & Cleveland, where the route will head through Guisborough (via Park Lane and Bolckow Street) and Marske-by-the-Sea, on its way to the flat, seaside finish, just after 2pm.
During the stage riders will contest two categorised Queen of the Mountains climbs, the first the long, six kilometre climb up to Blakey Ridge in the North York Moors National Park from Hutton-le-Hole, averaging 4%. The second Queen of the Mountains point follows shortly after, as the race climbs up Langburn’s Bank out of Castleton, averaging just over 5% across the two-kilometre ascent, while riders will contest the day’s intermediate sprint in Newton-under-Roseberry, shortly before Guisborough.
Stage Two
The second stage, on Friday 6 June, is set within the Tees Valley and will see riders facing a testing uphill finish at Saltburn-by-the-Sea at the end of 114.3 kilometres (71.1 miles) of racing. Setting off from Hartlepool Marina at 10:45, close to the National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool, riders will head through Seaton Carew, Billingham, Sadberge, Middleton St George, and Yarm, before passing through Stokesley and second visits for the race to Great Ayton and Guisborough, this time taking Westgate through the latter, where riders will also contest an intermediate sprint.
The stage includes two laps of a circuit via Skelton, Boosbeck, Lingdale, and Brotton, that will see riders twice tackle a Queen of the Mountains climb, averaging 4.5% over 1.5 kilometres, on Marske Lane up to Skelton, before the famous hairpins of the 15% coastal climb of Saltburn Bank twice, the second time for the finish of the stage, which comes on Glenside, just after 2pm.
The 300-metre climb up from the sea of Saltburn Bank in Saltburn-by-the-Sea is fast becoming synonymous with major cycling events, having twice featured in the Lloyds National Road Race Championships, played a key part in the 2024 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, and most recently in the East Cleveland Classic round of the Lloyds National Road Series.
Stage two will also feature a second intermediate sprint on the first passage of the finish line on Glenside in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The hosting of major cycling events such as the opening two stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is part of partnership agreed between British Cycling and Tees Valley Combined Authority to grow cycling and tourism links in the region.
Stage Three
Starting and finishing in The Square in Kelso on Saturday 7 June, stage three will feature a testing and spectator friendly route, similar to that raced on by the men in 2024, covering 143.8-kilometre (89.4 miles). After an 11am start, the route heads north west from Kelso to pass by Mellerstain House, then via Smailholm to the first of two ascents of the Queen of the Mountains climb at Scott’s View, averaging 2.5% over 2.5 kilometres. Dropping under the Leaderfoot viaduct, riders will then cross the River Tweed and race through Melrose to tackle the Dingleton climb, averaging over 6% across 2.5 kilometres, in the shadow of the Eildon Hills. Heading south via Denholm, the race climbs Dunion Hill (three kilometres at 5.4%) and descends into Jedburgh before returning to Kelso alongside the River Tweed, with the finish line on the cobbled market square hosting the intermediate sprint.
The stage then circles the grounds of Floors Castle to take a more direct route to the second ascent of Scott’s View, repeating the climb of Dingleton, the last categorised climb of the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, ten kilometres later. That will set up a frantic final 15 kilometres back to Kelso, via St Boswells and alongside the Tweed, for the usual approach to the finish in The Square, with the finish expected around 3pm.
Stage Four
From Glasgow Green the race will exit onto the Saltmarket, passing in front of the McLennan Arch, then turning right onto Clyde Street, to run alongside the River Clyde for the next 1.5 kilometres to Finnieston Quay. There the circuit turns inland, with the start of a gradual ascent up Finnieston Street to the junction with Argyle Street, and a right turn back towards the city centre along the climb of St Vincent Street.
Descending to West Nile Street, the route weaves its way into George Street, passing the St George’s Tron Church, to run along the northern side of George Square, as far as the High Street, and a fast run down to the Tolbooth Steeple, and left turn onto London Road.
The circuit re-enters Glasgow Green via Binnie Place, down to once again run alongside the Clyde in the closing few hundred metres, before the dash to the line in the heart of the Green. Riders will contest ten laps of the 8.4-kilometre (5.2 miles), including bonus sprints at the finish line at the end of laps four, six and eight. The final stage will start at 10am for an expected finish around Midday. Once the successor to Lotte Kopecky as Lloyds Tour of Britain Women champion has been crowned on Glasgow Green, the streets will be handed over to the Lloyds
Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival providing the opportunity for everyone to cycle on the same route as the professionals between 1pm and 4pm, completely free of charge, and with no limit on the number of laps riders can do. To discover the routes of all four stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women in more detail, and more information about the race, host venues, and participating teams, please click here.
Lloyds Tour of Britain Women Stage List
Stage 1 Thursday 5 June: Dalby Forest to Redcar
Stage 2 Friday 6 June: Hartlepool to Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Stage 3 Saturday 7 June: The Scottish Borders Stage: Kelso to Kelso
Stage 4 Sunday 8 June: The Glasgow Stage
Teams
UCI Women’s WorldTeams: AG Insurance – Soudal Team (Belgium); Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto (Germany); CERATIZIT Pro Cycling Team (Germany); FDJ – SUEZ (France); Lidl-Trek (USA); Liv AlUla Jayco (Australia); Movistar Team (Spain); Team Picnic PostNL (Netherlands); Team SD Worx Protime (Netherlands); Team Visma | Lease a Bike (Netherlands); UAE Team ADQ (UAE); Uno-X Mobility (Norway)
UCI Women’s ProTeams: EF Education – Oatly (USA);
UCI Continental Teams: CJ O’Shea Racing (Great Britain); DAS – Hutchinson (Great Britain); Handsling Alba Development Road Team (Great Britain); Hess Cycling Team (Great Britain); Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team (Great Britain)
