Gloucestershire Women's Tour route revealed
It's the first time the county has hosted the cycling race
Stage three (Wednesday 8 June) will take over 100 of the world’s top cyclists from Tewkesbury to Gloucester via the Forest of Dean.
With the start – Tewkesbury town centre – and finish – Gloucester Docks – separated by a little over 10 miles, fans will easily be able to attend both on race day.
Stage three’s route, which is 108 kilometres, will head west into the Forest of Dean upon leaving the start, passing through Newent, Coleford, Lydney, Cinderford, and Westbury-on-Seven.
The climbs of Speech House near Cannop and St White’s Road to the south of Cinderford offer potential launchpads for attacks on the run in to the finish line in Gloucester.
The Tour of Britain, the UK’s most prestigious men’s cycle race, will also visit the county in 2022 (Friday 9 September), with that route taking in the Cotswolds and South Gloucestershire.
The Women’s Tour will feature all 14 of the top division UCI Women’s WorldTeams this year, with 18 teams and 108 riders competing in the race, the biggest field in the eight-year history of the Women’s Tour.
Before heading to Gloucestershire on stage three the race will commence in East Anglia with a Grand Départ between Colchester and Bury St Edmunds, while subsequent days of the race will include two stages in Wales (stages four and five, Thursday 9 and Friday 10 June). The latter features the most elevation gain of any stage in this year’s race (2,065m), in part owing to the summit finish atop Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons.
The Women’s Tour will conclude in Oxfordshire on Saturday 11 June with a stage between picturesque Chipping Norton, in the Cotswolds, and the heart of historic Oxford.