women's cycling tour cancelled

Tour of Britain Women: Lizzie Deignan 'grateful' as Wales to host first two stages of 2024 tour

• Published 2 days ago

The Women's Tour of Britain will return to Wales

Britain's Lizzie Deignan says she is grateful the Tour of Britain Women has returned "against the odds" as British Cycling revealed the route.

Wales will host the first two stages of the 2024 race, which starts on 6 June.

The first edition under its new name - it was previously known solely as the Women's Tour - will begin in Welshpool, with stage one ending in Llandudno.

"I'm really grateful to the people who have made it happen against he odds," said Lidl-Trek's former winner Deignan.

"Hard work has gone on behind the scenes to pull this event off. Sometimes it's underestimated how much it takes to put on a race," the 35-year-old added.

The Women's Tour was cancelled in 2023 after organisers failed to find the funding required for the race.

The world's top female riders and teams will race through Wrexham on day two as the rebranded event returns this year.

The tour will then move on to Warrington before concluding in Greater Manchester on Sunday, 9 June.

Deignan added: "People in the UK are brilliant sports fans and there's this sense of excitement and thrill at being able to be part of a spectacle like a bike race - and it's exciting to be able watch at the side of road and to be in centre of that is not something I take for granted."

Jon Dutton, chief executive of British Cycling, said: "While there is still a great deal of work to do, today is another important milestone in our journey and reflective of the enormous goodwill and support which major road cycling events continue to enjoy.

"Our primary focus has been to deliver a safe and competitive race in 2024, but we remain every bit as determined to harness the race's spotlight to make a real impact in the communities which it touches, and know that is a vision which resonates strongly in conversations with prospective commercial partners and hosts."

The four stages include varying terrain, with the first stage beginning in mid-Wales before riders head to Llandudno on the north coast.

Starting and ending in Wrexham on day two, riders will take on the challenging climbs in the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley.

They will then cross the border to begin and end stage three in Warrington, a flatter route which will favour the sprinters.

British Cycling take on organising Tour of Britain races for men and women

The fourth and final day sees riders depart from National Cycling Centre, the home of British Cycling, before finishing the tour in Leigh.

Rod Ellingworth, Tour of Britain race director, said: "It's been a monumental effort by the whole team over the past 10 weeks to confirm the stages for this year's Tour of Britain Women.

"The race will take in four competitive and challenging routes, some challenging climbing in Wales and what I'm sure will be brilliant crowds on the roadside throughout."

Tour of Britain Women 2024:

Stage 1 - Thursday 6 June 2024: Welshpool to Llandudno

Stage 2 - Friday 7 June 2024: Wrexham

Stage 3 - Saturday 8 June 2024: Warrington

Stage 4 - Sunday 9 June 2024: Greater Manchester

Related Topics

• Wales Sport

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International Cycling Union

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Women's Tour cancelled for 2023, organisers cite lack of financial backing

The Women’s Tour, the biggest women's race hosted in Britain, is on the chopping block as the organisers, also behind the men's Tour of Britain, said the landmark race will go on a hiatus for 2023 owing to high running costs and a lack of sponsors and commercial support.

The award-winning race, whose ninth edition was due to roll out on June 7th in Stratford-upon-Avon, has been a staple of British racing in the past few years. The organisers, Sweetspot, who created the race in 2014 and have run it ever since, are finding it difficult to fund the race.

In their announcement of the axe today morning, the organisers said: “Owing to a combination of increased running costs (approximately 20% higher in comparison to the 2022 race), a reduced level of commercial support, and challenges in finding a vehicle partner to replace ŠKODA to help create a safe racing environment for riders and spectators alike, it has proved impossible to deliver the event that was proposed for June.”

> Women’s Tour in danger of being cancelled as organisers make urgent plea for sponsors

On 9 March, the same day that they revealed the route for the now-cancelled this year’s event, Sweetspot had issued an urgent appeal for sponsorship of the 2023 edition of the race, with reports suggesting that if new backing is not secured, the event may have to be cancelled. The Guardian had reported that the organisers face a £500,000 shortfall.

A few days after that, Sweetspot had  launched a a crowdfunding initiative  to help cover the event’s organisational costs and make up for the shortfall in sponsorship income, as two-time winner Lizzie Deignan declared her support for the beleaguered event.

The organisers, whose event already seemed under fears of organisational shortfall, seemed to have succumbed in the wake of a lack of financial backing.

This decision was taken after the three-week renewed appeal for funding failed to muster the £100,000 deficit for Sweetspot to justify running the race, instead only securing £18,000 via the crowdfunding scheme GoFundMe. The company said it seemed impossible to cover up the holes in finances with no hopes of finding more resources. They also mentioned that the refunds process has already begun to all those who donated through GoFundMe.

> Women’s Tour launches crowdfunding campaign to cover sponsorship shortfall

The organisers Sweetspot, who created the race in 2014 and have run it every year ever since (except in 2020 when it cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic), along with another cornerstone of British racing calendar, men’s Tour of Britain, had hoped that the route announcement will generate additional commercial interest in the race.

We're really sorry to hear this news, but we're looking forward to your return to the calendar next year 💜 — British Cycling (@BritishCycling) March 31, 2023

In 2022, the week-long stage race went ahead without a title sponsor. Three of the race’s four jerseys – the leader, mountains and best young rider classifications – were also without a sponsor.

Additionally, the race is also seeking a vehicle partner after Skoda exercised a break clause to end its deal at the end of last year. Sweetspot has a soft deadline of mid-April to begin plugging the gap given the need to begin booking accommodation.

The race already had interest from sponsors like cottages.com, Brother UK, Accurist and cycleGuard, but that seems to have failed to have provided enough financial backing for the organisers.

The Women's Tour is Britain’s longest-running major international stage race, which boasts riders like Lizzie Deignan, Marianne Vos and Elisa Longo Borghini as its former winners.

Back in March, Race director Mick Bennett had said: “Given the current economic climate, we have had to work harder than ever before to put together a race befitting of the world’s best teams and riders, so I must thank all of our stakeholders for their continued support of the event.

“We look forward to seeing engaged communities, packed towns, and crowded cities at this year’s race. See you all in June!”

As of now, the organisers say that they are already working on plans for next year’s edition, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the inaugural Women’s Tour. Wales will host the event’s Grand Départ for the first time as part of a long-term agreement already in place with the Welsh Government.

Sweetspot also mentioned that commercial partners wishing to be involved in the 2024 edition can find out more information on their website .

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Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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17 comments.

Where are the cycling philanthropists? Someone should support this essential race.

Shameful. Laughing stock of Europe.

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Comment by a runner turned cyclist - Why can't women's races be combined with men's races like all running races are? There could be a staggered or separate start. The logistics might be more complicated, but not impossible. Ok, purists might not like it, but it's better than nothing.

All the more shocking as we learn that Richie Sunak has just spent £500,000 of tax payers money on private jet flights in a fortnight

Velovite wrote: All the more shocking as we learn that Richie Sunak has just spent £500,000 of tax payers money on private jet flights in a fortnight

lf only he had gone by bike.

This is a real shame though.

Thats a real shame, it was always good racing to watch.

I'd rather have the Womens Tour than a third of tax-dodger Lineker on telly.

PRSboy wrote: Thats a real shame, it was always good racing to watch. I'd rather have the Womens Tour than a third of tax-dodger Lineker on telly.

And Golden Shoehorn of the Week goes to...

Oh and Lineker has won his appeal against HMRC. Do try to keep up eh? 👍

Eton Rifle wrote: PRSboy wrote: Thats a real shame, it was always good racing to watch. I'd rather have the Womens Tour than a third of tax-dodger Lineker on telly.

And Golden Shoehorn of the Week goes to... Oh and Lineker has won his appeal against HMRC. Do try to keep up eh? 👍

I assumed that was the point. He 'dodged' paying £4.9 million in tax (or legally avoided if you're a fan of his). I don't have intimate knowledge of his finances but I'm guessing using the right legal loopholes he pays a lower percentage of tax on his earnings than the person who cleans the studio after he goes home.

I am up to date thank you. He may have won his legal fight but he's still a tax dodger. 

PRSboy wrote: I am up to date thank you. He may have won his legal fight but he's still a tax dodger. 

If, as the court has decreed, he has paid the correct amount of tax for his tax status, how is that being a tax dodger? It's not as though he had dodgy Cayman Islands companies through which he was routing his funds, JRM style, he simply (and correctly, as the court has ruled) paid tax as a freelance contractor and not as a BBC employee. Paying all your taxes on time, in full, and at the correct rate is not tax dodging.

The beauty of the Sweetspot model has always been that they are not reliant on large name commercial sponsorship to fund the race. Rather, individual councils fund indivdual stages, which in theory makes things far more sustainable. 

The challenge with this model is two-fold. Firstly, like any other cycle sport sponsorship, the potential returns for hosting a stage diminish markedly after 2-3 years partnership. Sweetspot have been running the men's and Women's tour for long enough now that they will be getting to the stage that most willing councils have been identified and already rinsed. It's a finite prospect base, and as such, it will get harder and harder to find willing supporters.

Secondly, the squeeze on public spending means there are less available funds for councils or commercial partners to support the events. 

In short, unless there is a significant change in council funding, or Sweetspot change their funding model, there will be no Women's Tour in 2024 either. 

Remind me what British Cycling is doing with the millions of petro-dollars its green-laundering for Shell again?

Fwiw neither Sky or HSBC funded this race, though BC do fund the Tour of Britain in some way, or own naming rights, as that's why it's called the Tour of Britain, and Sweetspot weren't allowed to call this the Women's Tour of Britain and ended up as The Women's Tour instead, even though the media never got the difference, and BC and its main sponsor logos were always visible at the race.

Sad, but not entirely surprising news - and a damning indicment on the sport in the UK. One wonders just how much is being spent on the 'super Worlds' in Scotland in August - and has left nothing left.

We've had numerous World champions in CX in recent years, but can't find a venue/ backing to host a round of the World Cup......

That is absolutely terrible news. £500,000? For an event that could encourage huge numbers of women and girls to take up cycling, with the proven advantages to the Exchequer in terms of improved health and well-being? If ever there were a case for state intervention...the government gives the FA £30 million a year, for heaven's sake.

Fwiw I don't think government funding the event is the right way forward, though do pause to consider whom the councils who act as stage partners & hosts are receiving the money they pay to be involved from.

In theory the UCI will have to demote the race from WWT level, the costs may then lessen to make it more sustainable though Ride London Classique may replace it ultimately.

Not permanently maybe but just for a year? Just to keep it alive and give the organisers another year to try to find a solution, once these things disappear from the calendar it becomes a good deal more difficult to revive them.

Which just delays the inevitable unfortunately imo, plus if the government have that kind of money I think there are better ways to promote cycling to women than this.

Suffolk hosted a stage in every edition of the race bar 2017 and werent due to host one this year, so 7 years of stages sometimes multiple stages, if my maths is correct. It's hard to see what benefit for cycling that achieved locally considering its probably going to have been at least a 7 figure investment all told.

In fact I know some of the local councils would invest in the race purely to tick their we did some cycling stuff this year box, and have a day out on expenses, rather than invest in active travel or better infra or training or education.

The Suffolk women on wheels group were shut down due to lack of council funding, their guided group rides and events absolutely achieved more to get women cycling, than the race ever did.

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Tour Of Britain Women 'will cement city's commitment to cycling'

H osting the Tour Of Britain Women's finale will cement Manchester's place as a home of cycling, the man in charge of getting the city moving has said.

The city and wider Greater Manchester region will host the final leg of the race in June, following three stages in North Wales and Warrington, Cheshire.

Manchester became European Capital of Cycling in January, a moniker that it hopes will encourage people to use bicycles more.

Manchester Active's chief executive Eamonn O'Rourke said the city was "delighted" to host the "prestigious event".

The Women's Tour was cancelled in 2023 after organisers failed to find the funding required for the race.

On Monday, British Cycling announced a four-stage race would return between 6 and 9 June .

It will see the world's top female riders race from the heart of Powys to the seaside town of Llandudno, around Wrexham and the Clwydian Range and through Warrington, before finishing with a ride from Manchester to Leigh.

Mr O’Rourke said Manchester was "delighted" to be hosting the race in the year it became "the very first European Capital of Cycling".

“Hosting such a prestigious event cements Manchester’s commitment to supporting women’s sport at all levels, and our dedication to encourage more women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity," he said.

He added that the city was also "thrilled that the route will commence from the National Cycling Centre, our world-famous ‘medal factory’ and home of British Cycling".

Warrington Borough Council's chief executive Prof Steven Broomhead said it was "great news" that the town was hosting "the pinnacle of the sport again", after hosting a stage finish in the men's race in 2011.

“We’re pleased to be playing our part in celebrating some of the world’s greatest cyclists, bringing elite sport back to Warrington once again," he added.

"It will be a fantastic showcase that will equally generate societal, health and wellbeing benefits.”

• Deignan grateful as Women’s Tour back ‘against odds’
• 'Race against clock' to hold shortened Women's Tour

Related internet links

• British Cycling
• Manchester Active
• Warrington Borough Council

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Tour of Britain Women Salvaged from Shutdown, Returns as Four-Stage Race for 2024

Women's worldtour stage-race reboots as four-day event starting from wales on june 6, with plans to expand to six days in future..

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Officials confirmed details of the rebooted and rebranded Tour of Britain Women after a wild 10-week scramble to keep the race on the 2024 calendar.

Event organizer British Cycling revealed Monday a four-stage route from Wales and into Manchester for the inaugural edition of the race after its predecessor six-day “Women’s Tour” was effectively shuttered due to sponsorship shortfalls.

“It’s been a monumental effort by the whole team over the past 10 weeks to confirm the stages for this year’s Tour of Britain Women,” said newly appointed race director and former Team Sky/Ineos mastermind Rod Ellingworth.

“The race will take in four competitive and challenging routes, some challenging climbing in Wales and what I’m sure will be brilliant crowds on the roadside throughout,” Ellingworth said.

The news comes as a boon for the ailing British grassroots racing scene and gives hope for the future of the formerly named Women’s Tour.

The previous event was one of the OG stage-races of the Women’s WorldTour and counts Marianne Vos, Elisa Longo Borghini, and Demi Vollering on its roll of honor.

The first Tour of Britain Women rolls out from Welshpool in mid-Wales on June 6. Full stage details are due to be revealed in coming weeks.

“There’s clearly so much support and fondness for the race, both at home and further afield,” said Lidl-Trek racer Lizzie Deignan, who won the GC of the Women’s Tour in both 2016 and 2019.

“The four stage hosts deserve credit for their commitment to women’s racing and for helping to make the race happen, and I’m sure that together we can put on a brilliant show in June,” Deignan said.

We’re going racing in 2024, who’s coming? Tour of Britain Women – 6-9 June Tour of Britain Men – 3-8 September #TourOfBritain pic.twitter.com/dissO2O2vS — Tour of Britain (@TourofBritain) April 15, 2024

It’s all-change this coming season for the Women’s WorldTour race and its partner 2.Pro-ranked Tour of Britain Men.

Both races faced shutdown at the turn of the year when former promoter Sweetspot entered liquidation  and new commercial partners could not be found.

National governing body British Cycling stepped in as organizer of both races at the final hour and established “British Cycling Events”.

Former Team Sky / Ineos Grenadiers staffer Ellingworth was appointed as race director soon afterward, and officials scrambled to design courses for both its men’s and women’s races.

Both events were shortened for 2024 due to both logistical and financial reasons.

The Tour of Britain Men  will take place across six days this September.

The formerly named “Tour of Britain” typically serves as a key tune-up for many riders heading to road worlds, with Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, and Julian Alaphilippe among recent GC winners on British roads.

British Cycling intends to bring both the Women’s and men’s tours to six days in the future as it continues to seek sponsorship partners.

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Rebranded Tour of Britain Women to return in June

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British Cycling take over organisation of men's and women's Tour of Britain

Organisation in a 'race against time' to put on race formerly known as the Women's Tour this June

British Cycling has stated that it intends to hold the men's Tour of Britain and the Women's Tour – set to be rebadged as the ' Tour of Britain Women ' in 2024, despite the future of the races coming under threat after organisers SweetSpot entered liquidation last month.

SweetSpot's deal with British Cycling to organise the two stage races was cancelled by the British governing body last November amid allegations that the promoter owed around £700,000 in race licence fees .

It was thought that a new promoter would have needed to be found to continue the June and September races. However, British Cycling has indicated that it will take on the organisation of both races going forward in their original calendar slots of June and September. Time is running low to get the women's race – which was cancelled last year due to a lack of funding – up and running by early June.

"We didn't when we began this journey, have the aspirations singly to deliver the Tour of Britain and then the Women's Tour," British Cycling CEO John Dutton told selected media, including Cycling Weekly , in Manchester on Friday. "But in working through the untenable situation that we found ourselves in, we thought long and hard about bringing everything together as part of an event portfolio.

Future of Tour of Britain in doubt after British Cycling ends deal with race organiser Future of Women's Tour, Tour of Britain in doubt as organiser enters liquidation Women's Tour cancelled for 2023 due to financial shortfall

"There's still some work to do. The UCI calendar has been published with the Tour of Britain for women in its June date and the Tour of Britain for men in its September date. We're quite excited about the Tour of Britain for men on that September date, coming before the World Championships in Switzerland, and the ability, hopefully, to get some star names to turn up both internationally and domestically in preparation for the World Championships.

"We've still got a lot of work to do on the Tour of Britain Women. There may have to be some compromises from what has happened before in terms of duration. But our intention is to deliver something in 2024, which then grows in 2025 and 2026 but at the moment, we are working to the calendar dates that have been published."

Dutton said that British Cycling are working on delivering an eight-stage race for men, though added that the women's race will likely be shorter than be six stages previously planned.

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No sponsors for the two races or any race routes have yet been finalised, so the organisation finds itself in a "race against the clock" to deliver the two races.

"On the Tour of Britain Women, the race is due to take place in June, we now have a day-by-day plan, and we are in a race against the clock so every day counts," Dutton said. "We've done an immense amount of work, and we do have some of the pieces in place, we need to finish the rest of it and have the level of confidence that we can deliver a safe race, that it gives a great rider experience and also is financially sustainable.

"With the Tour of Britain Men, we obviously have more time. We've done an immense amount of work, and it will be an eight-stage race. Obviously, there is more complexity, but we have a level of confidence that we're able to deliver that and just to be really clear, there are two focuses.

"One is 2024 and making sure we get these away and we protect the races because that's so important. The bigger opportunity is 2025 onwards, and it is fair to say in terms of our ambition, we already have half an eye on 2025 and onwards in terms of what the races might look like.

"We're working on an eight-stage race for the men's race and the dates have been published. I think what we can say, at this point, is that we do not think it will be a six-stage race for the Tour of Britain Women but we're doing everything we can to make sure it's a high-quality racing experience."

Dutton continued to say that British Cycling does not want to take a "backwards step" in terms of prize money for the races, though conceded that there would be a lower prize pot should the women's race be cut in length.

"So that's not just about the number of stages, it's about the terrain, the geography, topography, start and finish, and also delivering it economically from a team perspective, we are very minded of that," he said.

"From a prize money perspective, we haven't had too many conversations about this but what we will say is we don't want to take a backward step in terms of quality. But obviously, it would have to be on a proportionate basis, if it was half the duration in terms of the race."

A future in the WorldTour?

Both races are set to fall under the purview of a new multi-discipline organisation called British Cycling Events, headed up by managing director Jonathan Day, which will include support for disciplines including BMX, mountain bike, and cyclocross.

Dutton said that British Cycling Events will be "moving forward" past the dispute with SweetSpot, saying that " We can either feel sorry for ourselves or we can get on and do something about it" and adding the battle over the unpaid fees is an ongoing legal matter.

"Of course, we've got our in-house legal people who are speaking to the insolvency practitioner and that is what it is," he said. "That's in the past and that will be dealt with in the appropriate way. For us, it's now about moving forward, we're here as British Cycling Events, a subsidiary of the national governing body, with real ambition and determination to work really hard.

"SweetSpot, Tour of Britain Ltd. and other entities have entered administration, so that is being dealt with by an insolvency practitioner and that is in their hands. So, we will continue to work with them as far as we're concerned and it's in the past. We can either feel sorry for ourselves or we can get on and do something about it.

"That will be dealt with in the same way as the numerous creditors. It will all be a matter of public record our accounts are a matter of public record. So that's how it will be dealt with."

With the future of both races now seemingly guaranteed – despite the race against the clock to organise the women's race this year – Day spoke positively about the future of both races, indicating that British Cycling hopes the men's race will be able to move up to WorldTour level like its women's counterpart.

"I think it's something we'd be super interested in, absolutely," he said "I think we're expecting to see some reform in terms of the International calendar I think in probably the not-too-distant future.

"So, we'll be keeping a close eye on that. Then we will obviously be liaising with the UCI and building that relationship up in terms of what that could mean for these events going forward. So, I think we're really open-minded about it. But if it's right for the events and right for the sport, and will have the impact, then absolutely."

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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix

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