The 2025 women’s Tour of Britain will go ahead in northern England and the Scottish Borders in early June, despite speculation that this year’s event was in difficulty.
Buoyed by news that the men’s and women’s Tour de France will start in Britain in 2027, this summer’s four-day women’s race will start in Yorkshire on 5 June and end in Glasgow.
The opening two stages will take in Dalby Forest, the North York Moors national park and the Tees Valley, before heading to the Scottish Borders on stage three, before the final stage on a city-centre circuit in Glasgow.
The Scottish rider Neah Evans said: “I started my cycling journey after a taster session at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome so Glasgow is a special place to me for that.”
Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, said: “We have first visits for the race to Dalby Forest and the North York Moors national park, from where we will race through North Yorkshire and into the Tees Valley.
“Saltburn Bank as a stage finish [stage two] will prove very popular with fans.” Saltburn’s 15% gradients have featured in past editions of the men’s Tour of Britain and have hosted the British national championships.
The Belgian rider Lotte Kopecky, winner of the world road race title in Glasgow in 2023, is expected to defend her title, while the sport’s highest-paid rider, Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, and 2024 Tour de France champion, Polish star Kasia Niewadoma, are also potential starters.
The continued growth of women’s cycling is reflected by both the unprecedented status of Vollering, as a Nike ambassador and the highest earner in the women’s peloton, and steady growth in rider salaries, allied to reports that global revenues from women’s elite sport will reach at least £1.88bn this year.
Detailed route information for both the men’s and women’s Tours of Britain will be announced later in the spring.
Meanwhile, the host towns for the men’s Tour of Britain, scheduled for 2 to 7 September, have yet to be announced and details remain scant. Both races will be directed by Rod Ellingworth, formerly of Team Sky and Ineos Grenadiers, now also working as a senior manager at the Bahrain Victorious on the UCI World Tour.