Derby to host Women's Tour of Britain for first time

Published: 9 March 2023

The Women’s Tour, the UK’s leading international women’s cycle race, will visit Derby for the first time in June.

Stage four of this year’s free-to-attend race will finish in the city on Saturday 10 June, following a day of top-level sporting action that begins in Coleshill, North Warwickshire.

Set entirely within the Midlands, the penultimate stage of the five-day event will see the peloton will race through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire, before making its way towards the finish line in Derby, which is home to one of the UK’s six indoor velodromes.

Councillor Jerry Pearce, Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Leisure and Public Spaces said:

To share this announcement, especially the day after International Women’s Day, is fantastic. Derby is a city where anyone can get involved with cycling, whether they’re a beginner or an elite cyclist.

Derby Arena and the Cycle Hub are great foundations for getting the community involved, so our city really is the ideal finishing point for this year’s Women’s Tour, and I couldn’t be more delighted.

The opportunities that being a host city brings are tremendous, from raising our city’s profile and boosting our local economy to inspiring the next generation of cyclists. It will be a fantastic spectacle for the residents of Derby.

Councillor Matthew Eyre, Cabinet Member for Community Development, Place and Tourism, added:

We are thrilled to be hosting the Women’s Tour and delighted to be part of inspiring the next generation of female cyclists into this incredible sport.

Cycling is one of very few sports which can be attended and watched close-up, without purchasing a ticket or subscription, meaning it provides a fantastic and exciting event, for all the family, at very low cost.

This event is the next chapter in solidifying Derby’s place at the heart of the cycling world and we cannot wait to play our part.

As an award-winning race that showcases its host regions and promotes community activities along the race route, the Women’s Tour continues to form part of the prestigious UCI Women’s WorldTour series of events.

Last year’s race averaged a daily roadside attendance of 60,000 spectators and delivered an economic boost of over £1m to local economies.

Mick Bennett, Women’s Tour race director, said:

Derby is fast becoming a hotbed of cycling, helped in part by its spectacular velodrome, so I cannot wait for the UK’s leading women’s race to visit the city for the first time in June.

I want the Women’s Tour to inspire people of all ages to live healthy, active lifestyles, and I’m sure that the people of Derby will be blown away by the power of this incredible, free-to-attend event!

The Women’s Tour will begin in Warwickshire on Wednesday 7 June and then continue with a stage between Northampton and Ampthill (Thursday 8 June). Day three will mark the most northerly stage in race history to date, as riders will tackle a grueling route from Dalby Forest to Guisborough via the North York Moors. This year’s champion will be crowned following a spectacular circuit race around the centre of Birmingham on Sunday 11 June.

This year’s Women’s Tour has already attracted the support of cottages.com, Brother UK, Accurist and cycleGuard. Organisers hope that today’s route announcement will generate additional commercial interest in the race, with event title, jersey, and stage specific sponsorships available. 

Launched in 2014, the award-winning event was the UK’s first international women’s stage race for women. Heralded as a game-changer in the journey towards gender equality in sport, previous winners of the Women’s Tour include Marianne Vos (2014), Lizzie Deignan (2016, 2019) and Elisa Longo Borghini (2022).

Further details of this year’s race, including competing teams, leaders’ jerseys and stage routes, will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Events, Leisure