Cockermouth in Cumbria will host the first stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, with the event taking place across the region on Wednesday, 19th August.

The 2026 edition of the event, which will make its return as a part of the UCI Women’s World Tour, will make its first visit to the region as part of a ‘partnership agreed between British Cycling and Cumberland Council to grow cycling and tourism links in the region’. 
On hosting stage one of the race, the leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer said: “Once again, we will be in the global spotlight.

This is great news for Cumberland, and following on from the announcement that we will stage a finish and a start of the Tour de France next year, this is proof that our area is a prime location for international events.”

“We look forward to working with the Cumbria Combined Authority and other partners to support the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women event this summer. This is a massive opportunity to showcase our west coast and inspire our communities to get active and see a world-class event on their doorstep.”

Both the town and county have a ‘vast history of hosting major bike racing', as Cockermouth has previously hosted the men’s race in 2015 and 2018, whilst Cumbria has held 12 different stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men.

Alongside Cockermouth hosting both the start and finish of the stage, the west of Cumbria will also feature heavily across the event as the competitors are set to head towards Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport.

On the locations that the race will visit, the Director of Events for British Cycling Ventures, Jonathan Day, said: “We are excited to be bringing the prestigious Lloyds Tour of Britain Women to these fantastic locations in August. For the first time, there is parity in the number of stages with the men’s race a few weeks later, so it is a huge opportunity to create a real festival of cycling, with the women’s race kick-starting a brilliant few weeks of elite racing.”

After Cockermouth and Cumbria has hosted the first stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women the competitors will then compete in four more stages:
Stage 2: Clitheroe - Blackpool
Stage 3: Mold to The Great Orme, Llandudno
Stage 4: Llanidloes to Hay-on-Wye
Stage 5: Royal Leamington Spa – Royal Leamington Spa

On the different stages of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, Day said: “We are bringing new hosts and stages in Mold, Llanidloes, and Hay-on-Wye, and it is fantastic to return to previous hosts of the Tour in Cockermouth, Clitheroe, Blackpool, Llandudno and Leamington Spa, bringing real variety to the courses as we head across England and Wales.”

British Cycling research, delivered by GSIQ, discovered that last year's Lloyds Tours of Britain races brought an 'overall cumulative economic impact of £62.3 million to the local areas’.

This impact will therefore also be felt across Lancashire, North and Mid Wales as well as Warwickshire, as these places will host the remaining stages ahead of the final women’s race on Sunday, 23rd August.

On the five stages and the places that will host them, Day said: “On behalf of British Cycling Ventures, I would like to say a huge thank you to our partners across the five stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this August’s landmark race and enabling us to bring a memorable and action-packed five days of world-class racing to their communities, spreading the joy of cycling along the route, and inspiring more people to get on a bike and live healthier lives.”

Further announcements, including the detailed routes for the five stages of the women’s and men’s race, will be announced in the coming weeks.