The route of the 2017 Women's Tour was unveiled today, and has revealed a race that will be centred around the Midlands, while the final stage will mimmick the men's Tour of Britain with a circuit race around central London for the finale.
The race starts on 7th June, with stage one running from Daventry to Kettering and stage two going through Stoke-On-Trent and Staffordshire. Stage three is Atherstone to Royal Leamington Spa, before Chesterfield and Derbyshire are negotiated on stage 4. The final stage, on Sunday 11th June, is the London circuit race that takes in Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and Whitehall.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, was at the route unveiling, and said: 'I’m really excited that the most prestigious women’s cycling race in the world is coming to the streets of central London for the first time.
'Londoners will be able to see their Olympic heroes and the world’s top riders competing up close, reviving the excitement we all felt during the Olympics. The race shows our continuing commitment to London hosting the very best sporting events in world.
'One of my key priorities is making cycling safer and easier for Londoners of all backgrounds, and I hope that having the Women’s Tour here will inspire thousands more Londoners to take up cycling as part of their everyday lives.'
As a World Tour race, the race will attract the top 15 teams, including Lizzie Deignan's Boels-Dolman's and the British-registered Wiggle-High5. Two other British teams, Drops and WNT, make the startline despite not being in the top 15, bringing the total number of teams to 17.
'I'm excited but also nervous about the opportunity to ride The Women's Tour since it's one of the most competitive stage races on the women's UCI calendar,' said Team WNT’s Katie Archibald, who is concentrating on the road a lot more in 2017 after the 2016 Olympics. 'Riding for Team WNT I hope to make an impact on the road scene after a change of focus from an enjoyable track season in 2016.'