All but one Women's WorldTour team will be present at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women this summer, British Cycling announced on Tuesday.

Defending champions FDJ United-Suez will be among the 19 teams, including 13 Women's WorldTour squads, to take part in the biggest women's bike race in the UK, and the only British WorldTour event.

There will also be five Women's Continental teams present, including all four British outfits, after fears that these squads would be blocked from taking part in the Tour of Britain after UCI rule changes. The Great Britain Cycling Team will also take part.

The race will take place over five stages from 19-23 August, with a route that heads south from Cockermouth to Royal Leamington Spa.

Nine out of the world’s top 10 teams will be at the race, including Movistar, the squad of Cat Ferguson, two-time overall winners Lidl-Trek, and Canyon-SRAM, home of national champion Zoe Bäckstedt.

Last year, Ferguson was pipped on the final day by FDJ United-Suez rider Ally Wollaston. SD Worx-Protime are also on the start list, the most successful team in the race's history, with 15 stage wins and three overall victories. The only WorldTour team not present will be EF Education-Oatly.

"We are thrilled to announce this year's Lloyds Tour of Britain Women team line-up, which brings together an exciting mix of elite teams and ambitious development squads," Alice Wood, the race's director and former British champion, said. "The strength of the teams announced today promises highly competitive racing from the start in Cockermouth to the finish in Royal Leamington Spa.

"The distinguished reputation of the Tour continues to attract the very best riders in the world. I have no doubt these teams will produce some iconic racing, that will undoubtedly inspire the future generations of cyclists in this country and the communities they will be battling for the crown through.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the teams to what we know will be a fantastic edition of the Tour, building upon an extremely successful edition last year and showcasing both the best of Britain and the best of cycling."

"The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is a huge highlight for us," Bob Lyons, the manager of Handsling Alba Development RT, said. "It is our only WorldTour race on home soil and a unique chance for our sponsors, supporters and anyone taking an interest in the team to see us race in person.

"With a route running from Cumbria down to Warwickshire and a proper climb on the Great Orme, it's a great test for the riders in a talented field. The five stages will provide exactly the kind of experience and exposure our team needs to continue to pioneer athlete development to elevate riders to the Women’s WorldTour."

Tour of Britain Women 2026 Teams

• AG Insurance-Soudal (Belgium)
• Canyon-SRAM (Germany)
• DAS-Hutchinson (Great Britain)
• FDJ United-Suez (France)
• Fenix-Premier Tech (Belgium)
• Handsling Alba Development Road Team (Great Britain)
• Hitec Products – Fluid Control (Norway)
• Human Powered Health (USA)
• Lidl-Trek (Germany)
• Liv AlUla Jayco (Australia)
• Movistar (Spain)
• O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes (Great Britain)
• Picnic PostNL (Netherlands)
• SD Worx-Protime (Netherlands)
• Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team (Great Britain)
• Visma-Lease a Bike (Netherlands)
• UAE Team ADQ (UAE)
• Uno-X Mobility (Norway)

After announcing his resignation in January, Jon Dutton’s tenure as British Cycling CEO has now come to an end, with an interim CEO put in place until a permanent replacement can be appointed.

Dutton joined British Cycling in 2023 after a five-year period as chief executive of the Rugby League World Cup. He has been appointed to one of the most prominent roles in British sport as the new CEO of the British Olympic Association.

British Cycling board member Lee Gibbons has been drafted in as interim CEO, beginning the role on the 13th of July.

“Gibbons brings a wealth of experience from the sports agency sector, other sports rights holders and commercial brands, including nine years at adidas where he ran the sports marketing division,” read a British Cycling statement.

British Cycling say that recruitment for a new CEO is now in its final stages and Gibbons will remain in post until a new CEO is able to join the organisation.

These changes come at a time when the organisation’s board is without a chair, following Frank Slevin’s decision to step down from the position in March due to a bowel cancer diagnosis. Slevin held the role for eight years.

Andy Cook and James Davies have shared the role of acting chair in Slevin’s absence. British Cycling say that a new chair of the board will be announced soon.

Dutton came on board with British Cycling at a turbulent point in its history, during which the organisation lost around 200,000 members shortly after petrochemical company Shell made an agreement to become a major sponsor - a deal which was struck before Dutton’s stint in charge.

British Cycling has also faced recent criticism for its policy that stopped transgender women from competing in female racing categories.

Dutton led a period of strategic change within British Cycling, seeking to boost its social impact and instilling a new mission statement to ‘bring the joy of cycling to everyone’, while working to grow the sport as one that is more accessible and inclusive.

He told Cycling Weekly last year that he hopes to see Great Britain & Northern Ireland's Olympic selection over the coming cycles “to be truly representative of society.”

“We want cycling across Great Britain to represent society, and it is clear in some areas that is not the case,” he added.

Under his tenure, British Cycling played a key role in bringing the 2027 Tour de France grand départes to British soil and also stepped in as the organisers of the Tours of Britain.

“The finish line has arrived far sooner than I had anticipated,” Dutton wrote in a post on LinkedIn signalling the end of his time with BC.

“This journey has been a rollercoaster of challenge, joy, and everything in-between. I’m eternally grateful for the humbling opportunity to lead such a magnificent organisation.”

“It’s been a privilege, an honour and a pleasure,” he added. “I’ve made mistakes, some will cheer my time on while others will jeer, but I leave knowing I’ve given it my all.”

The full route details for the five stages of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men were revealed on Wednesday by British Cycling, which gets underway on Wednesday 2 September and runs until Sunday 6 September.

The course will see some of the world's top riders racing across 910.3k (565 miles) of Britain, from Michaelgate in Lincoln, via the Yorkshire Dales to the Lammermuir Hills, just across the border in southern Scotland, tacking 8814 metres of ascent enroute.

"The route brings unique challenges to the riders, while delivering a backdrop which shows the best of Britain, from the beautiful coastline, across the highways, through our stunning countryside, and up some iconic and challenging categorised climbs,” says Jonathan Day, Director of Events for British Cycling Ventures.

Stage one, Lincoln-Lincoln, Weds 2 Sept 2026, 187.6km

This is the first year Britain’s biggest professional men’s cycle race has visited Lincoln, but riders will see plenty of the city on this 187.6km stage, which takes rolls out of town into the Lincolnshire Wolds and through Market Rasen, riding north to visit Caistor in the West Lindsey District, before wending west through Waddingham and then south to head back towards Lincoln via Ingham.

Once back in the city, with 120km already on the clock, riders will climb Michaelgate (11.3% average gradient) five times while doping crowd-pleasing laps of the famous Lincoln Grand Prix circuit, a prestigious part of the Lloyds National Road Series.

Stage two, Boston–Skegness, Thurs 3 Sept 2026, 185.2km

Day two will see the race start further south, in Boston, with riders heading north past Coningsby (WWII base of the 617 Squadron - better known as the bomb bouncing 'Dambusters') and pedalling through Woodhall Spa, Horncastle and Wragby, before heading east back into the Lincolnshire Wolds, where the route intersects with the stage one course at Binbrook.

The peloton will then ride east, via Louth to meet the coast and ride beside the North Sea through Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea, with a climb close Langton Hill, before dropping to end in a sprint finish into Skegness.

Stage three, Hull–Beverley, Fri 4 Sept 2026, 200.6km

The tour starts north of the Humber on day three, with the peloton departing Hull and heading up England's east coast, pedalling through Withernsea and continuing up to Hornsea and Skipseam before bearing inland to Burton Agnes.

Riders face a sequence of climbs en route to Driffield before descending into Wetwang, racing four times around a 16km circuit in Beverley, with the finish line positioned atop a testing uphill final stretch to the racecourse.

Stage four, Helmsley–Leyburn, Sat 5 Sept 2026, 170.5km

Riders face 2459m of ascent during the toughest stage of the 2026 Tour, as the race moves into North Yorkshire and tackles terrain that will likely prove pivotal in determining the final General Classification standings.

From the market town of Helmsley in the North York Moors National Park, the course winds through Easingwold, Boroughbridge and the cathedral city of Ripon before entering the Yorkshire Dales National Park. From Pateley Bridge, a stiff climb out of Greenhow Bank (4km at 7,2% average gradient) takes riders west towards Grassington and Wharfedale before the course head north to Buckden.

Between Cray and the finishline in Leyburn, the peloton will pass through some spectacular scenery - familiar to those who spectated the 2014 Tour de France Grande Depart - as riders climb Kidstones (2.9km at 6.3% average gradient and 12.6% max), race past Aysgarth Falls and tackle the climbs of Greets Moss (4.4km at 6.9% average gradient) and Grinton Moor (4.4km at 5.3% average gradient).

Stage five, Earlston–Earlston, Sun 6 September 2026, 166.4km 

On the final day the race heads into southern Scotland, to the Berwickshire town of Earlston, making its debut appearance on the Tour of Britain.

Heading east, through Smailholm towards Kelso, the route then elbows north to visit Hume, Greenlaw and Duns. Riders will then do battle during climbs in the Lammermuir Hills, passing Whiteadder Water before ascending to Redstone Rig and Duddy Bank. The route then returns to Earlston, where riders will race around two circuits of a 19km lap to the final finish line.

Further details about the routes of all five stages, and more information about the race and host venues, is all available on the BC website.

Tour of Britain 2026 stage table

Fred Wright sprinted to his second road race victory at the British National Championships in Aberystwyth on Sunday after a brutal afternoon.

Three years after his first title – and only career victory until now – the Pinarello Q36.5 rider was part of a three-man group which made it to the finish. Wright beat Lewis Askey (NSN Cyling) on the line with a bike throw, with Connor Swift (Netcompany-Ineos) following in in third.

The trio had been away with Mattie Dodd (Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy) and Elliot Rowe (Visma-Lease a Bike Development), but they were dropped with just under 10km to go on the final lap. Rowe won the sprint for fourth, meaning he is the new under-23 British national champion.

The big split happened with around 60km to go of the race, as the five that would decide the destiny of the elite and under-23 race escaped, initially with Jed Smithson (Hagens Berman Jayco) as a member, before he was replaced with Swift. As the quintet entered the local circuit in Aberystwyth for the final few laps, it was clear that the victory would come from this group.

Despite multiple attacks from Askey and then Swift in the closing kilometres, neither could distance Wright, who appeared confident in his ability to win in the end. Swift led the trio out into the finale, before Askey launched the sprint, with Wright rounding him on the line.

"It was a typical National Championships really, attacks from the start, full gas racing until a select group formed," Wright said post-race. "It's random but at the same time it does follow the same pattern: we take chunks out of each other for as long as we can and then a select group forms. I was happy to make that group and then we slowly whittled it down. The three of us were the strongest on the day and I played my cards well in the final. 

"I was trying not to think about it [winning] at the end. The year I had in the stripes was really special and as soon as you're not in them you really miss it. I was trying not to think about it too much in the last 10km. Just think about racing, how you would do things normally, without going too crazy. It's such a special thing, and I'm really happy to hopefully take these to the Tour. That's always special.

"I do love it, I hope I can start the Tour of Britain this year, I don't know what my schedule will be. It's lovely racing on British roads, we've had a really nice day here. We've had a really nice weekend at the seaside."

Results

British National Road Championships, elite men road race (187.3km)

1. Fred Wright, Pinarello Q36.5, in 4:15:47
2. Lewis Askey, NSN Cycling
3. Connor Swift, Netcompany-Ineos, both at same time
4. Elliot Rowe, Visma-Lease a Bike Development, +17s
5. Mattie Dodd, Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, at same time
6. Ollie Wood, RCC Racing, +3:05
7. Tom Portsmouth, Guidon Chalettois
8. Adam Mitchell, Vendée U Primeo Energie
9. Jed Smithson, Hagens Berman Jayco, all at same time
10. Danny Riwnyj, Foran CT, +3:12

Zoe Bäckstedt soloed to road race victory at the British National Championships on Sunday, attacking alone with 14km to go in Aberystwyth.

The Canyon-SRAM rider doubled up on her time trial victory from Thursday, holding off Josie Knight (DAS-Hutchinson) to take the elite title for the first time. Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech), the defending champion, finished third.

Knight might not have won, but alongside Bäckstedt was the standout rider of the race, having been in the early break and then leading for 90km on her own, with a significant gap of up to eight minutes at one point.

However, after joining forces with Matilda McKibben (O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes) and Jo Tindley (Smurfit Westrock), Knight's lead was cut down, before Bäckstedt attacked alone in search of the leader. With 14km to go, the 21-year-old caught Knight, and passed her.

Despite a concerted chase effort behind, Bäckstedt held off the remnants of the peloton, with the gap remaining at two minutes to them.

"The first part was super interesting, there was a break of ones and twos, who got maybe six or seven minutes ahead of us," the victor said, post-race. "On the last lap of the big lap, it was quite hard over that steep climb, and I was hanging on for dear life at the end of that. It wasn’t the most ideal feeling, so I knew it was going to be a hard day. Then on the long climb as we entered the small circuit, I felt really good, and Flora (Perkins) attacked and I followed it and went over the top of her, and then it was a 55km solo day to the finish to try and catch Josie. 

"It’s been a super good week. To win the time trial on Thursday and be on the podium with my sister that was a real highlight. To have her on the side of the road today and in the feed zone for me has been great. To have my whole family here has made it a great week where I could be super relaxed and have fun."

"It was a long old day," Knight, for her part, said. "Last year I got into a break and we worked quite well together, I am not the most confident rider, I don’t do a lot of road racing, so I’m not the most confident in the peloton, so I tried to get into a break to have a good day out. Unfortunately, I did that but I ended up on my own. Once I was gone I got a time gap of 25 seconds to four riders, and I was like, ‘do I wait for them, is it better in a group?’ and then it soon went to 45 seconds, so I knew I was in for a long day.  

"I was having mental battles with myself and asking ‘will they not just catch me already and put me out of my misery?' I was getting the time gaps so I knew Zoe was coming across, so I tried to give it all, but she just came past like a steam train.

"I was just chuffed to hang on for second. My team car kept coming up alongside me and telling me to believe in myself and that I could get second. So I just emptied myself to the line, so I am really happy." 

Bäckstedt also won the under-23 race at the same time. Imogen Wolff (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Erin Boothman (Liv AlUla Jayco Continental) finished in the third group on the road to take second and third in that classification, respectively.

Results

British National Road Championships, elite women road race (128km)

1. Zoe Bäckstedt, Canyon-SRAM, in 3:30:44
2. Josie Knight, DAS-Hutchinson, +1:42
3. Millie Couzens, Fenix-Premier Tech, +2:02
4. Pfeiffer Georgi, Picnic PostNL
5. Anna Morris
6. Imogen Wolff, Visma-Lease a Bike
7. Erin Boothman, Liv AlUla Jayco Continental, all at same time
8. Josie Nelson, Picnic PostNL, +2:03
9. Anna Henderson, Lidl-Trek
10. Noémie Thomson, DAS-Hutchinson, all at same time

Lizzie Deignan is to join the Great Britain Cycling Team as a sports director, a year after she retired from the pro ranks.

The 37-year-old, world champion in 2015, will work with men’s and women’s road cycling lead, Matt Brammeier, in pursuit of silverware for Great Britain’s road riders at major events en route to the 2028 Olympics in LA.

Deignan retired last year after a career which saw her win the Worlds, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix Femmes, La Course by Le Tour de France, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and more. The new DS role is just one of the new hats she has put on in 2026, with Deignan also launching a coaching service, and becoming race organiser for the Otley Cycle Races.

"I’m excited about the opportunity to work with a strong and talented group of riders; I believe we’re one of the strongest road nations in the world," Deignan said. "It’s been over 10 years since my world title so it’s time for us to step into our potential and deliver more rainbow jerseys.

"It’s always a proud moment to represent your country - my aim is to help each rider who does that achieve their maximum performance with the best possible support."

"Bringing Lizzie into the team is a real coup," Brammeier said. "Having only recently retired from the bunch, she has so much insight and knowledge into both GB’s riders and the opposition. She also understands how we work as a team first-hand and can support and advise on how to get the best out of our riders on race day.

"Beyond that, Lizzie is a true legend of the sport and has directly inspired some of our future stars to want to follow in her footsteps, so to be working alongside her will be a real joy for them. Most importantly, she is just incredibly passionate about the sport and seeing Great Britain achieve success at the highest level and that shines through above everything."

The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will start in Cockermouth, Cumbria, and end in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, British Cycling confirmed this morning.

The 11th edition of the WorldTour race will return to taking place over five days from Wednesday 19 August to Sunday 23 August, with its position in the calendar shifting from June to late summer. The route for the men's race was announced earlier this week.

Stage one will start and finish in Cockermouth, the first time the women's race has been there, although the men's Tour of Britain has visited before.

Next on the menu is Lancashire, with stage two from Clitheroe to Blackpool, with both again hosting the men's Tour, but never the women's equivalent. The last time Blackpool hosted an elite bike race, Mark Cavendish won on the promenade.

The third stage takes place entirely within Wales, with the day beginning in Mold, and finishing in Llandudno, on the Great Orme. This hilly test will present a different challenge to 2024, when Lotte Kopecky won on the sea front in Llandudno. Wout van Aert won atop the Great Orme in 2021 in the men's race, beating Julian Alaphilippe.

The next day, the race heads back to England from Wales, with stage four starting in Llanidloes, Powys, before heading to Hay-on-Wye. The final day starts and finishes in Leamington Spa, a town where Chloe Hosking and Sarah Roy have won before.

"We are excited to be bringing the prestigious Lloyds Tour of Britain Women to these fantastic locations in August," Jonathan Day, the director of events for British Cycling Ventures, said. "For the first time, there is parity in the number of stages with the men’s race a couple of 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 world class road racing.

"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 each of the stages as we head across England and Wales.

"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."

Next year will also see the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift come to the UK, in 2027. The men's race is set to start in Edinburgh, with the women's in Leeds.

Tour of Britain Women 2026 stage table

On Friday 2 July 2027, the men’s Tour de France will begin its Grand Départ from Edinburgh. Almost a month later, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will start in Leeds, on Friday 30 July 2027. The last time the Tour touched our shores, it was hailed the “grandest” in its 111-year history by race organiser, Christian Prudhomme. Now, twelve years on, our host nations are hoping to use the event to get more people than ever onto bikes.

The 2014 Grand Départ in Yorkshire left behind an impressive legacy, in the short term anyway. After the race continued onto the continent, British Cycling reported a 64% surge in participation for their recreational programmes. According to the body, 50,000 people took part in British Cycling Sky Ride events; 130 sportives were registered in Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and London that same year and nearly 500 ride instructors were trained that year alone.

Now ahead of the Tour’s second visit to the UK, Grand Départ GB's JOY social impact programme is hoping to use the spectacle as a way to engage more people than ever to get on their bikes and ride.

A coordinated effort across the three host-nations, the initiative focuses primarily on tackling inactivity and improving mental health; supporting communities to thrive, and to make Britain more productive and prosperous.

Scottish organisers have already gotten going. Speaking to Cycling Weekly in March, newly-appointed Social Impact Lead, Victoria Leiper, had already travelled throughout Scotland meeting community groups, talking with local authorities and tracing the Tour’s route all the way from Edinburgh to Dumfries and Galloway.

“We want the excitement of the tour to translate into real, measurable benefits for people and communities, but not just while the tour is travelling through their community, but in the lead up to, and then after,” she said.

Three projects are already confirmed. In Glasgow, Scottish Cycling will match funding from British Cycling to engage young people from disadvantaged communities to develop track cycling and BMX skills at Movement Park. “It’s about engaging young people who might not think that cycling is for them, and supporting local clubs to strengthen talent so that in the future we’re diversifying who appears on the podium,” Leiper continued.

Another programme specifically focuses on perimenopausal and menopausal women, to provide space to talk with one another, alongside a dedicated “trail therapist”. They will be working with the FNY Collective to design the programme, and to develop a toolkit to share it with cycling clubs throughout Scotland.

They’ve even developed a French language project with the National Centre for Languages and the Institute for French in Scotland to address dwindling uptake in language learning.

These additional programmes are made possible in part by a £1 million investment by the Scottish government to help capture the “once in a generation” benefits of hosting the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ.

Unfortunately for Wales, Beicio Cymru is yet to receive equivalent additional funding. Nevertheless, the team are currently developing a series of programmes designed to encourage girls into cycling, and to help children in deprived areas of Wales to learn how to cycle.

GEMS, a JOY-funded programme, focusses on getting girls’ aged between 7 and 11 to develop their skills on a bike, to enjoy the social world cycling can unlock, as well as offering yoga sessions and reflective journaling as part of the programme.

One of the Wales-specific programmes Beicio Cymru is fleshing out is a nationwide Learn to Ride programme to be rolled out across the whole of Wales, to give every child the chance to learn how to cycle.

“Probably for me and you, it's crazy to imagine not learning to ride a bike as a child," Beicio Cymru's National Development Officer, Ffion James, told Cycling Weekly, “but poverty levels are pretty high in Wales, and especially in some of the cities where many children don't own bikes, or just don't have a parent who will teach them. So we want all schools to have a learning programme, like they have a learn to swim programme, to show that biking is a skill for life, just like swimming.”

James is excited by the potential the Tour could offer Wales, but her hopes remain constrained by limited budgets.

“What we're trying to do is trying to get some more funding, so we can roll out this Learn to Ride programme all across Wales," she said. "So that by the time the Tour de France comes, every child, hopefully inspired by it, has the opportunity to ride a bike. So that's our big win, which we're trying to push.”

Events like the Grand Départ could have a real, lasting impact. For Leiper, the legacy of the last time a big cycling event came to Glasgow is still felt in her city. When the Commonwealth Games came to Scotland in 2014, she was working at a cycling social enterprise in Glasgow. To coincide with the games, they ran a one-off cycling festival that, after a successful first year, ran for another three. It ultimately become Women on Wheels, a social enterprise initiative working with women and refugees, which still operates in Glasgow today.

“That's a real example of how major events do bring legacy," she said. "If we could tap into things like that again, you're supporting communities to lead and run their own events, their own programmes, their own cycle festivals. Who knows what can come from that on a longer term?”

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Archibald has called time on a 13-year racing career that has made her one of the most decorated track cyclists of all time, it was announced on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old, who joined the Great Britain Cycling Team (GBCT) aged 19, won more than 50 medals across her career, including two Olympic golds, seven world titles and a record 21 European titles.

She retires as the reigning Madison world champion and European team pursuit champion, both honours she has won since beginning training to become a nurse last year.

“After 13 years competing on the international stage, and a lifetime competing against my big brother, I’ve decided to retire from the former,” Archibald said.

“Being part of the GBCT has meant being part of something bigger than myself, and it’s been a true honour to race my bike alongside the best in the country.”

Raised in Milngavie, Scotland, Archibald’s competitive introduction to cycling came in grass track in 2011, before she moved to the wooden boards of Edinburgh’s outdoor Meadowbank Velodrome.

Her first major medal was bronze in the points race at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Two years later, she won her first Olympic title in the team pursuit at the 2016 Rio Games; her second in 2021 was history-making, as she and Laura Kenny became the first female Olympic Madison champions, after the event was introduced to the Games in Tokyo. That victory is considered to be one of the most resounding ever, with more than double the points of second place.

Archibald missed her title defence at the Paris Olympics in 2024 due to a broken leg. She had previously said she wanted to compete at the Commonwealth Games this summer, and the LA Olympics in 2028.

In quotes shared by British Cycling, Archibald said the “draw of the ‘real world’” had been pulling her for a while, but she had been too afraid to leave cycling.

“Now is the right time simply because I’m not scared anymore,” she said. “I can’t claim to know why that is, but for some reason I only have a craving to live the life I’ve been saving for a rainy day, and no fear that I’ll miss the sunshine. It’s simply time.

“In the early stages of my career, I was sure I would never willingly walk away. I’ve been born in the right place at the right time with a talent that’s let me make a job of something people do for fun – that’s wild. I felt that giving this up before it was ripped from my hands would be irrational.

“At some point, though, I realised no one was going to rip it from my hands. I realised the decision would have to be mine, and I’ve found that truth quite hard to handle.”

Last September, Archibald began training as a nurse alongside her role within the GB squad. She completed her first placement earlier this year, and said she has “fallen completely in love with the whole thing”.

“When I let my friends and teammates know I was retiring from sport, they assumed it was because I wasn’t coping doing both,” she said. “The truth is, though, that there’s still a lot of ‘student’ in ‘student nurse’. I’ve had plenty of free time to train, and most of my classmates have jobs and families and commitments more taxing than mine.

“I really want to stress that the nursing training isn’t forcing me into retirement. At the same time, this thing that I’m just enamoured with is making me excited for the future, and that makes this transition less scary.”

Archibald leaves a legacy as one of the greatest endurance riders in track cycling history, and a leading figure in Great Britain’s success over the last decade.

When I look around, it feels like more people of all ages are cycle commuting than ever, and that greater numbers of bike riders are continuing to pedal well into their autumn years. But this is likely a slightly skewed view, as seen through the tinted glasses of someone now immersed in cycling.

In fact, a new study by Age UK has just revealed a far less positive picture, finding that millions of people in their 50s and 60s are nervous about taking up sports like cycling, and feel particularly anxious about joining a club, very often because of negative or traumatic experiences they had decades earlier, during PE lessons. This might seem a bit far-fetched, but to someone of my vintage it sadly sounds all too plausible.

I went to school in the 1980s, which means a couple of things: I’ve done more laps of sun than Paul Seixas has had hot dinners, and my experience of physical education in the state system was very different to the one encountered by my kids. I hope, anyway.

To be honest, I can’t whinge too much from a personal point of view. My dad's stories of physical abuse at the hands of psychopathic-sounding Christian Brothers at school in Ireland are horrific, and while some teachers still wielded canes and dished out smacks when I was in junior and middle school, I was 14 when Parliament outlawed corporate punishment in England.

However, that particular memo took several years get through the granite-thick skull of my Welsh PE teacher, who was fond of reminding us how he’d just come from a proper rough school in London and dishing out slaps if you failed to show enough enthusiasm for rugby. Forcing us to do press-ups in the snow was a favourite hobby of his, as I recall.

However, I was one of the luckier ones. A big lump of a half-baked human compared to most of my peers during those awkward adolescent years, when everyone grows in weird surges, I supplied some heft to the scrum as a lumbering number 8, and on the football pitch I was an effective if utterly graceless fullback, and a target in the six-yard box for more talented lads to aim at, with the ball sometimes bouncing off my head in the desired direction.

The only sport I truly excelled at, though, was javelin – district champion two years in a row I don’t mind telling you. But frankly, the benefits of being a decent spear thrower were pretty limited, even back in that dizzyingly distant era, when we had four TV channels and no digital devices to distract and destroy our developing brains.

But, at least I escaped the confidence-crushing experience of being constantly left until last when teacher-appointed team captains picked their sides during PE and games, something I witnessed happening time and again to some kids, who just weren't cut out or sufficiently developed for the hurly burly of team sports, especially when pitched against people sometimes literally twice their size.

They were the ones who would try and escape the regular ordeal by 'forgetting' their kit, only to be shamed by teachers and suffer the extra ignominy of being forced into playing in their underpants and T-shirts.

And in the non-optional communal showers afterwards, bullying and victimisation were commonplace for boys and girls alike, and especially awful when you consider the extreme changes people's bodies are going through at different rates during that age of extraordinary metamorphosis. And, so far as I remember, it all went pretty much unpunished. Actually, the more I think back on it, the more like Lord of the Flies it feels.

It was humiliating to watch, let alone suffer, and for many the lasting effect was to put lots of young people off sport entirely, sometimes, it seems, for life. Which isn’t just a great shame, it’s also a big health and fitness issue, especially as people age.

Amid this atmosphere, my initial enthusiasm for traditional sport waned pretty quickly as I progressed through secondary school, and by the time I was 15, I was regularly skipping PE lessons to learn far less healthy things, like how to blow smoke rings.

I stopped doing all sport during my teens and didn't return to it until my late 20s, when I discovered the redemptive joys of bike riding after signing up and training to do the Around the Bay in a Day road cycling event in Melbourne, where I was living. I was seriously unfit at the time, and it was the wake-up call I needed to sort my life out.

With the trajectory I was on back then – smoking and boozing and expanding in all the wrong directions – I hate to think what state I’d be in now if I hadn’t started road riding, and that led me to take up other pursuits, from mountain biking to kayaking and trail running (the latter so very different to school cross-country, which I genuinely thought had put me off running for life).

It’s no exaggeration to say that rediscovering sport – especially non-traditional pursuits, enjoyed outside of a pressurised team setting – was genuinely life changing for me. Probably even life extending. But this new research reveals that for many people my age, the ones who had been more badly bruised by the school PE experience than I had, the psychological baggage is too heavy to shake off, and they're missing out.

Some people even discover they have a real talent for sports like cycling quite late in life, but for most of us, being active and is simply good for both our bodies and our brains, with mental wellbeing being significantly enhanced if you end up forming new social bonds and meeting others in your area who enjoy the same sort of pursuits.

Even if you’ve led a largely healthy life, the benefits of doing activities such as cycling when you’re middle aged are well documented, with exercise helping people in ways ranging from avoiding muscle loss to coping better with the menopause, so it’s vitally important to stay active as you get older.

This is the focus of the 'Act Now, Age Better’ campaign launched last week by Age UK, and supported by various sporting bodies including British Cycling, that’s seeking to encourage adults in their 50s and 60s to take up pursuits such as bike riding, and to join a club to help them reap the full benefits.

The research behind the study was provided by Yonder, who conducted an online survey on behalf of Age UK using a sample of 2385 adults in Britain aged between 50 and 65, and extrapolated the findings across the middle-aged population of Britain.

They found that negative early PE experiences at school was a major barrier stopping millions of middle-aged people from being physically active in adulthood, with the data revealing that nearly half (the equivalent of 6.7 million people) used to dread school PE lessons. Many harboured memories of feeling self‑conscious about their body (40%) or being picked last for teams (40%), but Age UK believes that, provided with the right opportunities and support, mid‑lifers can get active again.

The Charity is now working with over 40 sporting partners, including British Cycling, the Ramblers, Sport England and many others, to help to bring sport back into people’s lives, but minus the trauma.

“The British Cycling Foundation are delighted to partner with Age UK for their Age Better campaign," Tracy Power, managing director of the British Cycling Foundation told Cycling Weekly. "We consistently see that the power of riding a bike improves physical and mental health, brings a renewed sense of confidence, strengthens communities, and tackles inequalities. We are committed to bringing the joy of cycling to those who need it most, and this partnership provides the opportunity for people, whatever your age, to age better through cycling.”

As road captain of the Lancaster University Cycling Club, Will Scholey was responsible for organising last autumn’s crit series. The spring edition had been a riot – more than 30 riders entered each round, and the club made money. How hard could it be to repeat that success? The answer, it turned out, was very. “We had, at most, three riders enter,” the 20-year-old says. Round one was cancelled, and with no greater uptake for rounds two and three, the whole series fell apart. “It was my first time doing it, and to get nothing, little to no entries,” he pauses. “It was all for nothing.”

Scholey still isn’t sure why so few people entered. He wonders if concerns about poor weather played a part, or if he didn’t advertise the series on social media early enough. Simply registering each race on the British Cycling website cost his club £30 a go. “So that’s £90 down the drain,” he says. Sadly, Scholey’s ill-fated series is not an isolated case.

The number of closed circuit races held in the UK has fallen 14% in the last four years, from around 700 in 2022, to 600 last year. Road races have followed a similarly downward trajectory: from 190 in 2022 to 160 last year – a 16% decline. These figures, provided to Cycling Weekly by British Cycling, are just a recent snapshot. In the years following the London 2012 Olympics-inspired boom, interest waned. The rot really set in around 2016, amid a decade of government austerity. The Covid pandemic of 2020-21 then plunged the scene to new depths; many races were put on hiatus at first, and some never returned.

Now, as Britain prepares to stage the start of the men’s and women’s Tours de France in 2027, the pinnacle of global racing, what state is the grassroots scene in? Scholey’s autumn races may have collapsed, but remember: the spring series had been a roaring success. The swift reversal in fortunes raises questions: is British road racing really on its knees? Is it the same outlook across the country? And what can be done to help?

Far and wide

The outdoor Maindy Velodrome, pitched under floodlights on the outskirts of Cardiff, is a legendary facility. It is here that 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas began his career, as did Olympic gold medal-winning track cyclist Elinor Barker and nine-time world champion Zoe Bäckstedt. All three came through the Maindy Flyers Cycling Club, the largest youth club in Wales, which today counts around 180 members. In fact, despite a nationwide waning of interest in cycling, the appetite to join the club remains so large that there’s a waiting list. “Even getting my own son in was difficult,” says club chair Mike Richards.

Maindy Flyers are a prime example of a grassroots club that is thriving. Their remit involves teaching children cycling skills, but also encouraging them to pursue racing. For Richards, the biggest obstacle to the latter is not declining interest, but a lack of local events. “There is nothing here in Wales,” he says. “Some parents drive two-and-a-half hours, maybe longer, for a 15-minute race.” Richards has to take his 10-year-old son Tom all the way to the West Midlands for youth events, and sometimes even makes the six-hour round trip to Cornwall. “We’ll do that again this year,” he adds.

These commitments can be astronomically expensive for parents. Michael Tarling, the father of Ineos Grenadiers rider Josh, has told of remortgaging the family home to pay for childhood racing trips. The costs of long-distance travel are threefold: money, time and energy. As a result, only the most devoted and privileged child racers continue competing into adulthood.

These issues are being compounded by an ongoing cost of living crisis. According to William Fotheringham, who runs the Halesowen Cycling Club Academy and is part of the West Midlands regional racing board, a shortage of cash is a key obstacle holding back participation. “The country’s economy has been stagnant now since 2008, and that has an effect,” he says. “People’s wages aren’t increasing. When I’m organising races, I get riders saying, ‘I want to enter a race, and I’ll enter after pay day’.”

Inflation in the UK is currently around 3%, above the Bank of England’s 2% target. Property rental prices are at an all-time high. Faced with adversity, hobbies are regarded as non-essential, and down comes the axe on bike racing. “It’s a hugely expensive sport,” says Fotheringham, “and obviously, as the calendar gets diminished, riders have to travel further, entry fees cost more.”

The average price to enter an amateur road race in the UK today is around £30. Second-year student Scholey says he has paid between £15 and £90 for a single event. To fund his racing, he works outside of term time in his dad’s bike shop in North Yorkshire, and usually has to travel south for events. “Most of the drives take us four hours, and we need to find somewhere to stay the night before,” he says. “It becomes really expensive.”

Among Scholey and his club-mates, there is frustration that “the south gets it better”, both in terms of the number of races and entrants. “In some of my youth races, there was me and four others,” the Yorkshireman says. “In one local crit, it was just me and two others.”

Location, then, might be the main reason why Herne Hill Velodrome is bucking the trend. Like its Welsh counterpart in Maindy, the South London track, nestled among houses near Brixton, is experiencing surging demand. “There is a huge amount of people around,” says Thea Smith, the velodrome’s development manager. “Even though we still feel that we struggle to reach many people, there are thousands of people coming through the door.”

Smith joined Herne Hill in 2020, brought in specifically to help break down barriers to entry. Each year, up to 3,000 children learn to ride bikes on the outdoor track. “The natural progression is that some then trickle through to racing,” Smith says. When they do, costs are kept as low as possible, with race entry priced at £12.50. It’s cheap, fun, and attracts competitors from all over the country. An outdoor velodrome doesn’t face the same obstacles as road race organisers, Smith acknowledges. “You hear all these horror stories of drivers ignoring rolling road closures,” she says. “I find that absolutely terrifying. I probably wouldn’t want to go and organise a road race at this point, because the culture war against cyclists is just so strong.”

Still kicking

As part of my research for this feature, I surveyed Cycling Weekly’s social media followers, asking about racing habits. Of those who responded, two thirds said they had never competed in a race, and 83% said they would not consider starting. Their reasons were varied: some cited financial barriers (“I can’t afford super-bikes”), others said they were too old or too slow, while fears for safety, like those Smith outlines, of crashing and getting injured, were a recurring theme. It’s a bleak outlook, but surely something can be done to tempt more people onto start lines?

Fotheringham points to the success of his local handicap league – a racing format he believes should be copied in every region across the country. In these events, riders are seeded by ability, and start in waves, with the first to cross the finish line the winner. Since a new organiser took over the West Midlands league last year, participation has risen 25%, from around 40 to 50 people a night. “That’s a big increase,” Fotheringham says. “We have guys up to 70 years old riding. They start in the front group, and sometimes the handicap gives them enough of a margin that they stay away to the finish and contest the win. Everyone’s happy.”

Over in South Wales, the lack of racing opportunity has spurred Maindy Flyers into action. Instead of grumbling, club chair Richards has put “blood, sweat and tears” into reviving a monthly crit series at the Llandow motorsport circuit, laying on events for all age groups, from under-eights to adults. He worried at first that the club may end up losing “a couple of thousand” pounds on the series, but he's since secured sponsorship from Uprise Bikes. “I hope it’s the start of something new for South Wales,” Richards says, adding that he hopes the arrival of a Tour stage in Cardiff next July will provide a further boost.

These examples might seem small-scale, but they’re proof that success stories exist, and efforts are being made to keep Britain’s racing scene kicking. “If you don’t nurture it, it will just die,” says Fotheringham, a phrase that’s as much a call to arms as it is a sign of the scene’s parlous health. It’s why the hard work of passionate individuals has never been so vital.

Scholey, Lancaster University’s 20-year-old road captain, is one such fighter. Months after being forced to cancel his autumn crit series, he’s already looking ahead to the next one. “Hopefully I’ll be in the job again next year,” he says. “I’ll get it planned over summer and start pushing early.” As the voice tells Kevin Costner in the 1989 film Field of Dreams: “if you build it, they will come.” British cyclists can only hope the same proves true for grassroots racing.

BC comment: 'We can’t say everything's rosy'

According to figures from British Cycling, participation in road racing is falling, but not drastically: the number of people competing has dropped around 4% in the last four years, to just below 4,000 in 2025 (3,269 men, 704 women). With fewer events – 23 road races were cancelled last year across all levels – these racers are now competing less often, and have to travel further to do so.

“I can’t sit here and say everything’s rosy and competition is the highest it’s ever been. It’s not,” says Amy Gardner, British Cycling’s sport and participation director, who oversees everything from grassroots racing up to the Olympic pathway. “Since Covid, we’re on average 25% down across participation – that’s not specific to road, that’s in general.”

While British Cycling is responsible for the system in which races are held, a lot of the issues faced by entrants exist on a wider, societal level, such as the cost of living crisis. Gardner also points to other “external challenges”, such as: “legislation about cycle racing on the highways, the introduction of 20mph zones, and higher costs to [implement] road closures”.

What, then, is British Cycling doing to ease the pressures? “We’re implementing club initiatives, we’re looking at increasing grants, and we’ve brought in a sustainability fund [for] grassroots events,” Gardner says. Pressed for the amount the governing body is investing in grassroots racing, she says she doesn’t have the figures, but highlights the more than £180,000 a year spent on the National Road and Circuit Series, the elite tier of racing. What is her message to those worried about the scene? “Just believe that we’re trying our very best to get more people into competition.”

This feature first appeared in Cycling Weekly magazine on 26 March 2026. Subscribe now and never miss an issue.

The April 16 edition of Cycling Weekly magazine is themed around issues of cycling accessibility, and the pertinence of the topic has been highlighted by recent research revealing that millions of people in Britain – who could be reaping the myriad health, fitness and financial rewards that cycling brings – do not have access to a bike simply because they can't afford one.

Meanwhile, many other people have perfectly decent bicycles getting dusty and rusty in a shed or garage, because their pedalling days are behind them, or they’ve moved on to another model or have off-spring who have outgrown their kid’s bikes.

Cycling can be seen as outrageously expensive and, according to a market tracker study, 41% of the British population do not own a bike of any sort, with affordability being one of the main reasons cited. At the same time, additional research has revealed that 34% of adults in Britain own a bike that they never ride, and 15% have an unused child’s bike lying around.

This is the reality revealed by research conducted by British Cycling, and working with long-term partner Lloyds, the national governing body for the sport has responded by devising a scheme to get those long-neglected and pre-loved freedom machines out of the darkness and into the hands of someone who will use and appreciate them, via a series of ReCycle Hubs.

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This concept, which has been trialled around the country over the last eight months, sees community-run hubs take in abandoned or donated bicycles, revive and refurbish them, and redistribute the bikes at an affordable price point to people who need and want them for commuting or recreational use. The benefits to the wider community of providing easier access to bikes are massive, too, from safer streets to cleaner air, and often the repair side of the operation provides training and direction to people who need it.

Following the success of the pilot project, the initiative will be expanded to ten sites across the UK, including the five locations involved in the initial pilot: the Manchester Bike Kitchen (which has three sites across Greater Manchester), Ay Up Community Bikes in Derby, Changing Gearz in Torfaen, St Augustine’s Centre in Halifax, and Re Cycle In Cafe in Stockport.

“Re Cycle In was born from a passion to help our community fix their bikes instead of throwing them away," reports Sandra Davenport, a volunteer at the café and hub in Stockport. "Since May, we’ve been repairing wheels in Heaton Norris with a focus on both bicycles and the environment. This funding gives us the chance to grow, support even more people, and inspire our community to embrace the power of pedal-driven change."

Applications are also open for additional community organisations, bike hubs and grassroots groups to get involved, by expanding existing local recycling and cycling initiatives or setting up new Lloyds ReCycle Hubs in places where they're needed. If you want to get involved, the application form and the toolkit to help with the process can be found here, and grant funding, guidance and mentoring is all being offered.

“This project is a real catalyst for social change," said Tracy Power, Managing Director of the British Cycling Foundation. "Not only will it bring significant improvements to health and well-being, but Lloyds ReCycle Hubs will have a positive impact on the environment, and open opportunities to many people across the UK, making real social impact for those in underrepresented groups."

The Tour of Britain will return to Yorkshire this September, with another stage being planned to take place amid the afterglow of Britain hosting the Tour de France Grand Départ in the summer of 2027.

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has partnered with British Cycling to bring elite racing back to the county for 2026 and 2027, after Yorkshire was absent from the men’s Tour of Britain route in 2025.

The newly inked proposal will see North Yorkshire hosting a full stage of the men's Tour of Britain in 2026, with another stage planned for 2027, which will take place just a few weeks after the eagerly expected Grand Départ for the Tour de France has swept across the UK, albeit with the men’s route skirting around the county that locals like to call ‘God’s Own Country’.

In 2027, the three-stage curtain-raising ride for the 114th edition of the Tour de France will start in Scotland, leaving from Edinburgh on 2 July and heading south into northern England, passing along the western side of the country, through Carlisle, Keswick and Liverpool, before crossing into Wales and coming to an end in Cardiff on 4 July.

Due to take place almost a month later, the route of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift features plenty of Yorkshire, however, with the action starting in Leeds on 30 July and the peloton threading through Sheffield before heading south to finish in London.

The white-rose county was setting for the spectacularly successful 2014 Grand Départ, when a sun-splashed weekend saw an estimated 2.5 million cycling fans line roadsides along a route that passed through Leeds, Harrogate, Sheffield and York to see stars including Mark Cavendish and (who crashed out on the Saturday) and ultimate winner of that year’s Tour, Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali (XDS Astana).

The Tour of Britain stages have been secured with £350,000 of mayoral investment funding, while extra costs for elements including road closures and traffic management (expected to total £400,000) being split between the local authorities involved. However, organisers say each stage of the Tour of Britain can generate between £2m and £12m for the local economy of the areas it passes through.

A spokesperson from British Cycling has said that more details about venues and host locations for the upcoming Tour of Britain will be announced in the coming weeks, so watch this space.

“We are delighted to [be] agreeing this partnership with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and bringing the Lloyds Tour of Britain to the region over the next two years," said Jonathan Day, Director of Events at British Cycling Ventures.

"We have seen some exceptional racing in North Yorkshire over the last few years, most recently with the women’s race starting at the Forestry England site of Dalby Forest in 2025. The area brings entertaining racing for the riders, exceptional backdrops for broadcast, and enthusiastic crowds across the route. We are looking forward to working with partners across 2026 and 2027.”

“It was supposed to be an amazing year. Now… well I think the next few weeks are going to be met with blind panic over the set-up of bikes.”

Tim Allen, founder of Avec Bikes and the bike-fit specialist consultancy Soigneur, looks and sounds utterly disconsolate. And little wonder. At Cycling Weekly we’ve been writing extensively about the furore over the UCI’s recent rule changes about handlebar width and wheel rim depth, and British Cycling’s rather muddled messaging about how the regulations would be enforced in domestic races, but meeting Allen really brings home the cost of these events.

The team at Avec have just spent over three years researching, designing and developing a narrow handlebar called the Aer, which – measuring 32cm between the hood clamps and 36cm centre-to-centre at the end of the drops – now falls foul of the UCI regulations.

The actions of a commissaire at an event in London last weekend, and a statement issued by British Cycling yesterday (confirming that riders taking part in road, circuit and cyclo-cross sanctioned events will not have to use bars measuring 40cm end-to-end, but will need to adhere to the minimum distance between the brake lever hoods of 28cm) have quashed earlier hopes that the new rules would not be applied in the UK. This clarification of British Cycling’s stance removes the grey areas, but does Allen no favours whatsoever.

"What it has done is given me a funny idea of developing a handlebar with sensible hood position and extremely narrow drops," he says with a wry grin. "I'm not going to do that, because that would be wildly unsafe, but that would technically be allowed under British Cycling's regulations.

But really, there’s little to smile about. Allen has been left furiously trying to figure out where he goes from here, and what the wider implications are for the sport.

“We've invested everything into this,” he tells me. “Developing a carbon component isn't an overnight task, it's years of research. And we believe that we've done something truly great with these handlebars. The feedback is that people love them, but this has financially and mentally sunk us before we can even get going. At the moment it's just a battle for survival. It's heartbreaking. Where do I go with it? Do I make something else only for that to also be changed next year?”

I ask what drove the design of the Aer bar. “These handlebars were developed over three years, working and researching with real-world riders – not necessarily racers, also recreational weekend riders – to really understand the impact of narrower handlebars,” Allen explains.

“Our findings were very clear. A handlebar that's wider than the frame of a rider handles significantly worse than a handlebar that is neutral to the frame of the rider, or within. And there isn't much to differentiate a handlebar that's neutral from a narrower handlebar other than at very slow speeds.

“That’s because, on a road bike, you don't steer a bike with your handlebars. You steer with your body mass. And it's only once you drop below a certain speed where active handlebar input force really becomes a dominant factor in how you handle a bike.”

With hoods mounted into their neutral proper position on the Aer bars, they’re 23cm apart, which is 5cm short of that UCI regulation. They can be turned out to 28cm, but Allen points out that would present the possible risk of damage, because it creates a high pressure point between the lever and the carbon of the bar, which would be far more dangerous if there was a failure.

And does having the levers out to 28cm make a difference to safety? “Absolutely not!” Allen is emphatic. “Your primary contact point between the handlebar hood and your hands is the outermost point of the palm, which pivots around the bar. So that actually makes no difference whatsoever. Where they want it to make the difference really is riders gripping onto the tops of the levers and kind of getting themselves into an arrow tucked position.”

Allen accepts the need for regulation, but says it should be data backed. “We have to, as riders and racers, understand why this is being done, with evidence properly presented,” he says. “The way these regulations are being pumped out is not helping the industry develop. They are implemented in such a rash way where everybody is kept guessing.”

And the rational behind the handlebar ruling appears especially oblique. “I can't think of one race incident, not one race crash, that has been directly caused by narrow handlebars or deep wheels,” Allen says, echoing an opinion we’ve heard umpteen times from riders bewildered and annoyed by the new regulations.

By contrast, Allen believes the way the rules are currently being enforced is potentially putting riders at real risk. "I wasn't there, but it looks from the video like [the commissaire] was carrying an allen key around with him to change levers. Okay… well, what torque are you putting those levers to on a carbon bar? Is what you're doing, or forcing a rider to do, on the start line safe?

“It's kind of mind mind-blowing, because it's going to affect people's interaction with the bike. It's going to change how the bike handles in a crit race. The majority of people are spending most of their time in the drops anyway, but changing the biomechanics of a bike setup just before you hit the start line of a race is a very dangerous thing to do.”

The Aer handlebars were being launched on a pre-order basis, and the timing of the announcement was a 'bombshell' to Avec. "[The UCI rules] had already changed drastically in the previous season, to a 35cm outside-to-outside minimum, and we were quite conscious of that. That's why we developed to a 38cm outside-to-outside measurement. But they went well outside what we could predict."

"It fell at entirely the wrong moment for us," Allen explains. "We had broadly finished the surface designs, but it's an expensive process. Our timelines for production were for March/April last year. And then Trump got into power and changed global supply chains entirely. Ultimately that pushed [launch] back to July. We had massive pre-orders, riders at UCI continental level through to amateur racers, all freaking out that they've invested into this product that they don't know whether they're actually going to be able to use. It was a very, very stressful time.

“I reached out to British cycling to understand the implications on this, and I was kind of told that they weren't going to implement them, or the wheel depth regulations."

This is why the announcement this week has left him reeling. “It feels like a bit of a personal attack, you know, even though I'm far from the only first person impacted by this,” he says. “It's also interesting for British cycling to follow these regulations. I don't know what their overall thoughts on it are, or whether they're just trying to appease the UCI, but their own track bike that's taken years of development has also been banned. Where does that leave them for the LA Olympics?”

"It is kind of obscene," he continues. "I've got so many clients, so many friends affected by this. These are real people with day jobs. You know this is a fun activity to do on a Wednesday night or a Saturday morning. For 99% of people racing, it's a fun thing to do. Bikes are fun.

“Part of the fun of a bike is that you optimise it. That's the appeal of cycling to a lot of people. How do I make my bike faster? what do I like to ride? When there's baseless safety claims around regulation changes that are going to influence people's setups both biomechanically and financially, that is very unfair. I personally don't have like a race-legal bike anymore. My wheels, which I've been able to race for years, are too deep. My handlebar that I've developed, are too narrow. It just makes me want to stop racing.”

And Allen believes the ramifications of decisions like these will have a serious, and negative, impact on the whole culture of cycling.

“I don't I don't think the regulations suit recreational and amateur racing, which has been put in quite a dangerous place, in terms of survival. And I don't think [the regulatory bodies) are helping themselves by implementing kind of these regulations in the way they are.

“Nobody's making a living from doing these races anymore. I think it's just going to see another reduction in the number of people racing. It's going to turn more people away from the sport, and it's already struggling. It's gotten more expensive and is becoming more restrictive. Why are people going to be passionate about racing?

“If enough people are kind of turned off of racing, but still want that racing kind of feel... What's stopping a group of 40 riders getting together saying: 'We're going to ride from this point to this point. Whoever gets there first to the cafe gets bragging points'?. Essentially unsanctioned racing. Then what happens? People start taking risks on open roads with no safety."

The ever-lively debate about the UCI’s minimum handlebar widths, and how (and where and why) the new restrictions are going to be enforced, has been reignited after a video emerged of a British Cycling commissaire measuring bar widths and the gap between brake levers at a British road racing event at Lee Valley Velopark in London over the weekend.

The footage, taken by track cyclist and 2025 Master's Kilometre TT National Champion Atiba Quildan (who has posted detailed explainer videos about the subject in the past) showed several riders being forced to significantly adjust their shifters just before riding, in order to comply with the controversial new UCI minimum bar width specifications.

The video sparked a deluge of acerbic comments from other riders, bristling not just about the details and impact of the restrictions, but also the lack of clarity about whether British Cycling was really intending to enforce them to the letter, or not.

Quildan told Cycling Weekly that the problem was a lack of consistency, with anecdotal reports that the restrictions had not been applied at earlier events, and that there had been little coherent advice from the governing body, leaving riders unclear about the legality of their set up. The changes were brought in for safety reasons, and tragically a cyclist did die during a road event at Lee Valley last year, which Quildan believes may have led to the venue having a commissaire there to double down on the enforcement of the UCI rules.

But with confusion reigning, riders were arguably placed in more jeopardy by having to change the position of their shifters at the very last minute. “One guy told me he was struggling to stop,” said Quildan. The situation led to people such as former team pursuit world champion, Hour Record–holder and now head of engineering with Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe Dan Bigham bemoaning a lack of communication from British Cycling about the new regulations.

Amongst the ranks of pro racers there has been a tendency for bar widths to get shorter in recent years, with some notable exceptions, like Classics specialist and multiple cyclo-cross world champion Mathieu van der Poel.

However, midway through last year, as part of a raft of new rules ostensibly intended to improve safety, the UCI announced that a new minimum handlebar width for road bikes of 400mm would be introduced from the beginning of the 2026 season. That's a 50mm increase from 350mm, measured between the outer edges.

This came along with a new minimum gap between the inside of shifter/brake hoods of 280mm. (This latter measurement was a compromise, after the minimum space between levers was initially set at 320mm.) The UCI stated that this rule would apply to bikes taking part in mass-start events. Track bikes, which previously didn’t have a minimum bar width restriction, will see a new rule form January 2027, which specifiies bars must be 350mm outside to outside.

The decision to apply these rules immediately caused concern across the industry, with component manufacturers, team bosses, bike-fit pros and others expressing their disquiet about the impact it might have on production and performance, and critics pointing out that the minimum width stipulation would have an especially negative impact on smaller riders and women cyclists. Initially it seemed as though British Cycling were not going to apply the restrictions, but then out came the video of the commissaire brandishing a yellow measuring stick.

Contacted by Cycling Weekly, British Cycling acknowledged that there had been some confusion around the new UCI technical regulations, and said it was in process of clarifying how the rules would be applied in Britain with all license holders.

The forthcoming clarification stated that, according to British Cycling regulations (R2.1.1, page 109 of the 2026 Handbook): "Unless expressly authorised by the format of the competition, events held under these Technical Regulations are restricted to cycles that are compliant with the UCI Regulations, save for the UCI minimum overall width of handlebars."

British Cycling went on to explain that, in practice, this means the following:

"Riders competing in British Cycling road, circuit and cyclo-cross sanctioned events (including Nat A, Nat B, Reg A, Reg B and Reg C/C+ road and circuit events) do not need to adhere to the new UCI regulation prescribing a minimum overall width of handlebars of 400mm, but they will need to adhere to the minimum distance between the brake lever hoods of 280mm (and also the maximum wheel rim depth of 65mm).

"However, riders competing in UCI road, circuit and cyclo-cross sanctioned events will need to adhere to all UCI regulations. Such events include: Lloyds National Road Championships, The 20th Rutland International CiCLE Classic and the City of London Nocturne Elite Crits. And in cyclo-cross, this applies to any Elite and Junior race which is registered on the UCI calendar."

There is much scepticism amongst riders about whether the new rules actually make cycling safer. “Obviously it’s good that British Cycling have clarified their position, but I don’t think the new UCI rules should have been implemented at all,” says Quildan. “I don’t think anyone has actually crashed because their bars are too narrow”.

And others agree. "Personally I think that there are far more things the UCI and British Cycling should be worrying about for safety," One Life Cycle rider James Ambrose-Parish told Cycling Weekly. "We race on open roads with oncoming cars in the UK with potholes and other road users.

“The people that put in place these rules I’m sure have never ridden narrow handlebars on their road bike. For me [narrow handlebars] haven't affected the way I handle the bike; if anything, they makes it easier to defend your position in a tight bunch and prevent bars getting hooked on other people.

“I think the rule will only hurt those that have tried to optimise their position who maybe don’t have the raw power to win. Cycling is different to other sports where equipment and innovation can largely affect results. It has always encouraged people to find ways to go faster that don’t involve full-time training plans.”

Ambrose-Parish concedes that British Cycling's update today has at least got rid of the grey areas, but he's still faced with a predicament. "For the past two years I have been using the Toot Asha RR 33cm and 35cm, and prior to that was using 33cm alloy track bars as road bars – previously legal for the 35cm outside width that ran up until 2025," he said. "I'll have to rehose the whole bike as they won’t be long enough to accommodate bars… won’t be able to do this before the weekend!"

British Cycling's chair, Frank Slevin, is to step down following a diagnosis of bowel cancer, it was announced on Wednesday.

The former House of Fraser executive has been in the post since 2018, which he said had been "an incredible honour and privilege". It follows the recent announcement that CEO Jon Dutton will also leave this summer to become the new CEO of the British Olympic Association (BOA).

Slevin's tenure saw him work with three CEOs: Julie Harrington, Brian Facer and Dutton. He helped lead the organisation through the Covid pandemic, as well as helping BC meet the recommendations from the Cycling Independent Review. His revealing of his cancer diagnoses was partly inspired by Sir Chris Hoy.

"I would like to thank the passionate staff and volunteers in particular, who work tirelessly to serve our members and partners and who have made my role as Chair so rewarding," Slevin said.

"It has been an incredible journey since the Cycling Independent Review. We should be enormously proud of the fact that we have established British Cycling as an exemplar for how national governing bodies in sport can not only continue to win Olympic, Paralympic and World Championship medals in unprecedented numbers, but can also deliver for our members, create real social impact across the Home Nations and be governed with professionalism and integrity.

"I am deeply saddened to be leaving before my tenure naturally comes to an end later in the year, but I know British Cycling has never been stronger, more focused on its purpose nor better led and I am confident that the transition to my successor will be managed with aplomb."

Dutton, the current British Cycling CEO, said: "Frank has been an exceptional Chair and a steadying force during one of the most pivotal periods in British Cycling’s history.

"His unwavering dedication, commercial acumen, governance expertise and passion for cycling have helped lay a stronger foundation for the organisation’s future, both at elite and grassroots levels. He leaves a legacy that will benefit riders, volunteers and fans for years to come.

"On a personal note, it is bittersweet that Frank’s departure coincides with my own, however we have a clear strategic direction, strengthened structures and an unprecedented opportunity to build on that progress with sustained energy and focus.

"Frank’s service to our organisation has been exemplary, and I know the entire cycling community will join me in wishing him well as he focuses on his health and wellbeing."

Slevin oversaw an organisation which has been incredibly successful at delivering Olympic and global success, but has also dealt with falling membership. In recent years, BC has also faced controversy, including over its policy that stopped transgender women from competing in female racing categories. It has also faced questions and protests about British Cycling's partnership with oil and gas giant Shell.

"I know there are still people out there who are not happy. Although it’s for me, the board and the executive to demonstrate that there was proper purpose in doing this. It isn’t just a financial transaction, there will be benefits," Slevin said in 2023.

"If we don’t deliver those benefits, then you can hold me to account."

According to the press release, recruitment for the new independent chair will begin "in earnest", but Slevin will remain involved until a successor is appointed, remaining on the boards of Grand Depart 2027 Ltd and British Cycling Ventures.

Andy Cook and James Davies will share the role of acting chair.

Glasgow will host a round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup this December, marking the first time the competition has visited the UK in 12 years.

The event will take place on 13 December in Kelvingrove Park, in the west of the Scottish city. It will be the third of 12 international rounds that make up the off-road discipline’s foremost series, held mostly in Belgium.

The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup first left mainland Europe in 2014, when it staged a round in Milton Keynes. This was also the last time it came to the UK. There have since been rounds in the USA and Ireland.

Commenting on the Glasgow announcement, Fraser Johnston, head of events at Scottish Cycling, said it will be a “monumental moment”.

“I'm sure we will put on a great show and cement ourselves in the international calendar,” he said.

Pre-sale tickets to attend the event are on sale now to British Cycling members. General sale will open at 10am next Monday 9 March through Ticketmaster.

“It’s going to be the biggest moment in my career,” said Cameron Mason, the current men’s British cyclo-cross champion, who is from Linlithglow, a 40-minute drive east of Glasgow.

“It’ll be a real honour to be the current British Champion lining up on the start,” Mason continued. “I know there’s so much more to gain from an event like the Glasgow World Cup than just performance. I see the support that the cyclo-cross has every weekend, and just how special the sport is.

“It’s going to be so cool that the people of Scotland get to see it for themselves.”

The female British cyclo-cross champion, Anna Flynn, is also Scottish, from Edinburgh.

The event will include both a men’s elite and a women’s elite race.

Alongside Mason, the organisers are hoping to attract some of the biggest names in the sport, including Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Lucinda Brand (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions). The Dutch pair topped their respective men’s and women’s UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup series last year, before both going on to win the world title.

Britain’s return to welcoming the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup comes as part of British Cycling’s wider plans to boost cycling in the UK by hosting major events.

“This is a significant moment in the delivery of our major events vision,” said Darren Henry, managing director of British Cycling Ventures. “Bringing world-class international racing to Great Britain inspires future generations and delivers real impact for local communities.”

Last year, it was announced that the UK will host “the grandest of Grands Départs”, when it organises the starts of both the men’s and women’s Tours de France in 2027 – a world-first outside of France.

Glasgow previously hosted the first ‘Super Worlds’ in 2023, a mega-event that brought together 13 UCI World Championships disciplines.

The full 12-round calendar of the 2026-2027 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is as follows:

1. Friday 27 November 2026 - Ostrava, Czech Republic
2. Sunday 29 November 2026 - Tabor, Czech Republic
3. Sunday 13 December 2026 - Glasgow, UK
4. Saturday 19 December 2026 - Antwerpen, Belgium
5. Sunday 20 December 2026 - Koksijde, Belgium
6. Saturday 26 December 2026 - Gavere, Belgium
7. Sunday 27 December 2026 - Namur, Belgium
8. Tuesday 29 December 2026 - Besançon, France
9. Sunday 3 January 2027 - Zonhoven, Belgium
10. Sunday 17 January 2027 - Benidorm, Spain
11. Saturday 23 January 2027 - Hamme, Belgium
12. Sunday 24 January 2027 - Hoogerheide, Netherlands

This week’s Lloyds National Track Championships will be broadcast live and free by British Cycling on YouTube.

The four-day event begins on Thursday morning at the Manchester Velodrome, and runs until Sunday afternoon. British Cycling’s YouTube stream will provide live footage of six sessions, two on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The decision to provide live coverage comes after the governing body put the British National Cyclo-cross Championships behind a paywall last month. Fans had to pay a subscription fee of £2.99 to access the feed, as part of a “pilot initiative” by British Cycling. The National Track Championships are not part of this initiative.

“The Lloyds National Track Championships is always a prestigious and exciting event as riders compete for the much sought after national jersey – a huge honour in anyone’s career, and this year will be no different,” said Jonathan Day, director of events for British Cycling Ventures, in a press release.

“We’re delighted that we will be able to share the joy, tension and thrill of the championships to anyone and everyone, wherever they are. Whether you’re watching from the stands or the sofa, there’s quality on offer as some of the World’s best riders go head-to-head.”

Among the riders on the start list are two-time Olympic champion Katie Archibald, and current Olympic team sprint champions Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant. They will compete alongside a number of their Great Britain Cycling Team squad-mates who impressed at the recent UEC European Track Championships, including Anna Morris, Josie Knight and Matthew Richardson, each of whom won two gold medals in Konya, Turkey.

“The national champion’s jersey is so iconic,” said Finucane ahead of the competition, “and everyone wants to win it, so I’ll really get stuck in and I’m excited for it. It’s been a while since I won a national jersey so I’m really up for it.”

The full schedule of events – which counts 21 championship events, including para-cycling disciplines – is available on the British Cycling website.

British Cycling’s streaming guide for the championships on Youtube is as follows:

Friday 20 February, session one – 11:00
Friday 20 February, session two – 18:00
Saturday 21 February, session one – 11:00
Saturday 21 February, session two – 18:00
Sunday 22 February, session one – 9:00
Sunday 22 February, session two – 16:00

Cycling Weekly will be reporting on all four days of the event from inside the velodrome. Follow our website for racing updates and exclusive interviews.

British Cycling has announced the details of its inaugural National Gravel Championships, which are to be held in Scotland in August.

It's the first time the UK governing body has run its own event, with the race having been organised by Red On Sports since 2021. The events company decided to call time on its own pioneering Championships after BC announced it would run one itself.

The racing will take place in Ae Forest in south-west Scotland on the weekend of August 22-23, with the elite races taking place on the Sunday and youth, junior and masters' events spread across the two days.

The Championships were put out to tender, and will be put on by Scottish company Outsider Events, which also organises trail running and other gravel events.

Ae Forest is one of the 7Stanes MTB hubs and is not far from Galloway Forest, where the Championships were held two years ago after a hasty relocation from their original Kings Forest location.

More details will be released "in due course" says British Cycling.

Outsider Events director Cameron Balfour said it would create a "festival atmosphere" at the finish line that would appeal to families and spectators as well as the racers.

"From an Outsider Events perspective, this is a significant moment for both the region and the discipline," he said, "reflecting the growing momentum behind gravel riding. As with many of our flagship gravel festivals within the GrALBA Series, the focus won’t rest solely on the pointy end of the racing."

BC's head of development Joe Malik said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome gravel to the growing list of British Cycling events. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the devoted community in its formative years, we know that there is already a strong foundation from which we can help grow the discipline to further heights."

He added: “Achieving our goal of bringing the joy of cycling to everyone means we need to meet people where they are cycling, whether it’s in Ae Forest or a gravel path in Grimsby. We hope that by incorporating gravel into the British Cycling National Championship line-up, we can get more eyes and more interest into a thrilling discipline.”

British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton will leave his current role this summer to become the new CEO of the British Olympic Association (BOA), it was announced on Monday.

Dutton took over at British Cycling in April 2023, and has since guided the governing body to income growth at a time of declining membership.

“It has been a tremendous honour to lead British Cycling through such an important and ambitious period of change,” Dutton said in a press release.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together – strengthening our organisation, delivering meaningful impact in communities, and laying foundations that will support the sport for many years to come.

“The decision to move on was made with careful consideration, but the opportunity to lead Team GB presents an exciting new challenge. To take on one of the most coveted and impactful roles in British sport is a privilege and I look forward to joining colleagues at the BOA at a pivotal and exciting time for the organisation as plans continue to build towards the Los Angeles 2028, French Alps 2030 and beyond.”

Dutton's legacy at British Cycling includes the "game-changing" title sponsor deal he helped sign with Lloyds in 2024. Thanks to this partnership, and other commercial deals, the organisation achieved its first financial surplus in four years in 2025.

In 2024, Dutton oversaw the governing body's move to rescue the men's and women's Tours of Britain after the previous organiser went into liquidation. He is also said to have played a "fundamental role" in securing the UK's Tour de France Grands Départs for 2027.

Dutton's British Cycling tenure coincided too with more controversial issues. A month after he joined as CEO, the organisation announced a new policy that stopped transgender women from competing in female racing categories. He has likewise faced questions and protests about British Cycling's partnership with oil and gas giant Shell, which began before he joined.

Contacted by Cycling Weekly, a spokesperson for British Cycling said the governing body will recruit for Dutton's successor in due course. This will lead to the appointment of a fifth CEO in a decade.

Commenting on Dutton's departure, Frank Slevin, chair of British Cycling said: “During his tenure at British Cycling, Jon has delivered a significant programme of change – including the publication of our bold new strategy in 2024, securing a new lead commercial partner in Lloyds and continuing our programme of modernisation.

“The organisation is now better equipped to serve its members, support elite performance, and grow participation at every level across the country than at any point in recent memory.”

Dutton's appointment to the BOA comes after former CEO Andy Anson stepped down in October 2025. He will still work closely with British Cycling as part of Team GB.

Cycling fans in the UK will have to pay £2.99 to watch the live stream of the British National Cyclo-cross Championships this weekend.

The paywall comes as part of a “pilot initiative” by British Cycling, and follows on from no live coverage of the event in 2025.

The stream will be provided by Monument Cycling and broadcast on British Cycling’s YouTube channel. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, the governing body live streamed the event for free.

The new £2.99 subscription fee, described by British Cycling as “modest”, will give users access to the elite, under-23 and junior races, and can be cancelled at any time.

British Cycling’s sport and participation director Amy Gardner said the subscription “forms part of our dynamic new approach to domestic sports coverage, to reach and inspire new fans and deepen engagement with existing audiences”.

“We are investing in the coverage to make top quality Championship racing accessible and engaging, so sign up today, so you don’t miss out,” Gardner added.

Cycling fans in the UK have witnessed a surge in the cost of watching the sport in the past year. Last January, it was announced that fans would need to pay £30.99 a month to access live cycling on TNT Sports, having previously paid £6.99 a month to do so on Discovery+.

This summer, the Tour de France will be exclusively available on TNT Sports in the UK, a paywall that ends 40 years of free-to-air coverage of the race.

The Lloyds National Cyclo-cross Championships will take place in South Shields this Sunday 11 January. The defending champions in the elite categories are Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) and Xan Crees (OGT p/b USE).

British Cycling’s subscription-only live stream will be available from 9:30am.

It might not have been explicitly written in the press release, but there’s a lot to suggest in this announcement that cycling fans should get used to paying to watch British National Championships events from now on.

First, there’s Gardner’s comment that the subscription fee is British Cycling’s “new approach” to coverage. Likewise, the fact it’s a monthly fee, rather than a one-off, implies there are more plans in the works; don’t be surprised to see similar paywalls on the National Track Championships next month, or the National Road Championships in the summer.

Fans naturally feel sorely about initiatives like these. In previous years, tens of thousands have enjoyed the Cyclo-cross Nationals free of charge (the free YouTube feed gathered 46,000 views in 2024) and being asked to pay is unlikely to come as welcome news. Still, if the alternative is no live stream at all, like in 2025, then I imagine £2.99 is a cost some will be willing to meet.

I remember standing at the start line of the elite women’s race last January in a frosty Gravesend. Beside me, a lady held up her phone and live streamed the start to her Instagram followers. I’m not sure how many people were watching, but for them, those first few pedal strokes were the only action they saw. Would they have paid £2.99 for a well-produced broadcast of the whole event? I probably would have.

Perhaps cycling fans in the UK have had it too good for a long time now – that’s what those building up the paywalls say, anyway. We have no legal right to free cycling coverage. In fact, there aren’t many sports you can pull up and watch for free on YouTube, not mainstream ones anyway.

A “modest” subscription fee – “less than the average price of a coffee,” as British Cycling says about this one – might actually be fair. It's certainly better than no coverage.

British Cycling has announced the launch of a new commercial wing designed to “supercharge” the organisation’s growth, and they are looking for investors to help fast-track its development.

British Cycling Ventures will absorb British Cycling Events and will oversee all commercial activity. The influx in investment British Cycling hopes to generate will be “reinvested into British Cycling’s wider mission” and used to “realise the full commercial potential of cycling in Britain and internationally,” according to their press release.

The national governing body hopes to expand its events portfolio across disciplines from track cycling to BMX freestyle, and to increase revenue generated from hospitality and merchandising. The Financial Times reported that the development of a track cycling “super league” could also be part of this plan.

“The launch of British Cycling Ventures (BCV) is a landmark moment for our organisation and a transformative step for British sport,” British Cycling's Chief commercial officer and new managing director of BCV, Darren Henry said. “For the first time, we have a dedicated commercial engine designed to elevate cycling’s reach, create unforgettable experiences for riders and fans, and build sustainable growth far beyond our traditional horizons.

“BCV will give partners and investors a rare opportunity to help shape the future of one of Britain’s most successful Olympic and Paralympic sports.”

While British Cycling currently gets the lion's share of its income from government grants (£33 million), with an additional £9.88 million from UK sport and £7.24 million from Sport England for grassroots projects, commercial revenue has risen by 286% since 2023. Partnerships with Lloyds Bank and Shell also increased by £1.9 million in 2023 to £5.3 million in the 12 months to March 2025.

However, during this same period, British Cycling’s membership count fell by more than 11,000, according to its most recent report. This 9% drop in memberships is part of a wider 15% decline over the past two years, though income generated from memberships has increased following the launch of a tiered system in April 2024.

Despite falling memberships, British Cycling chair Frank Slevin called the year a “monumental” one for the organisation, who, due to its “innovative new commercial strategy” via partnerships with Lloyds and Shell, left the governing body in positive figures for the first time since 2020/21.

British Cycling may be the country’s first Olympic federation to seek strategic investment, but there is international form for such a move. CVC, a Luxembourg-based private equity firm, is a joint venture partner with FIVB, volleyball’s global governing body, the Women’s Tennis Association and Six Nations Rugby. US private equity fund Silver Lake owns a commercial stake in New Zealand Rugby. Private equity funds play a large role in modern sport more generally.

While British Cycling Venture’s plans for the use of the yet uncollected investment remains vague, they have consulted the help of Oakwell Sports Advisory to “accelerate” its growth, and to help secure strategic equity and investment partnerships as Britain's role in the 2027 Tour de France Grand Depart looms ever closer.

British Cycling’s member count has fallen by more than 11,000 people in a year, the organisation’s latest company accounts have revealed.

Covering the 12 months to the end of March 2025, the accounts show an almost 9% drop off in membership, from 128,663 in 2024, down to 117,475. This decline extends to 15% over a two-year period, after members totalled 137,968 in 2023.

Despite this, income from membership increased slightly for the first time since Covid, up from £5.79 million to £5.89 million. British Cycling said it has boosted its “average income per member” following the launch of a tiered system in April 2024. The three tiers of membership are: supporter (free), member (£50 per year), and premium member (£80 per year).

Previously, prices ranged across tiers for fans, commuters and racers, with an entry-level racing membership costing £27.

It is understood that those in the new, free 'supporter' tier are not included in the overall membership figures.

Approached for comment about the declining member count, a British Cycling spokesperson told Cycling Weekly: “We have made a significant investment for the long-term through digital transformation which will revolutionise the member experience.

“However, we cannot ignore the strain of the cost of living on households, and the challenges this brings for membership organisations across the board. That is why we are getting ahead of the curve to strengthen our products and provide experiences for our audiences which are more engaging and tailored to their interests and needs.”

Though unspecified in the accounts, there are likely to have been a number of factors that contributed to the membership drop-off. British Cycling reported earlier this month that it has seen a 4% year-on-year decline in event participation since 2018. The governing body has also faced criticism from its members due its partnership with oil and gas giant Shell, announced in autumn 2022.

'Monumental year'

Despite the member count losses, British Cycling chair Frank Slevin wrote in the report that it had been a “monumental year” for the organisation.

Slevin praised British Cycling’s “innovative new commercial strategy”, which brought on new partners like Lloyds, and helped lead the governing body to its first financial surplus in four years, albeit £17,488.

“The 2024/25 financial year has been a positive year for British Cycling Federation with income growth from commercial partnerships, membership and local authority partnerships along with strong cost control,” the report says. “British Cycling Federation has generated a surplus for the first time since 2020/21 and a year earlier than our financial plan.”

British Cycling also generated £1.38m from the 2024 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men and Women events, which it took over organising in February last year.

More than half of British Cycling’s £33m revenue comes from grant income; during the financial year, the governing body received £9.88 million from UK Sport to fund its performance programmes and the Great Britain Cycling Team, and £7.24 million from Sport England for community and grassroots projects.

Reflecting on the year, British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton said: “This year has been a testament to our resilience, innovation, and unwavering commitment to bringing the joy of cycling to everyone. Despite a challenging economic landscape, our collective efforts have yielded remarkable achievements, both on and off the field of play.”

There is now a hope that the Tour de France UK Grand Départ in 2027, of which British Cycling is a key stakeholder, will inspire more people to take up cycling and help drive progress.

British Cycling has launched a new wide ranging competition framework as it looks to revive a flagging domestic racing scene over the coming years. The plan, published on Thursday afternoon, looks at all aspects of a cyclist's touch points with the sport, from discovering as a newcomer to racing at the highest level of domestic competition.

The framework is the result of 12 months of consultation with members, riders and communities and creates a format to help British Cycling deliver a "simpler, more fun and effective competition structure across all disciplines by 2029". The work will continue through 2026 as they design and then deliver the changes to put it into practice.

The framework puts in place five levels at which a cyclist can enter and progress through the sport, and highlights what each of those levels should deliver.

Discover: Where newcomers are introduced to competition and start their journey in the sport. Low cost and with relaxed rules, the focus will be on delivering a safe and welcoming environment. These will be coach led with learning and excitement at the core. Removing barriers to entry will make them accessible to more people and there will be no points, results or rankings.

Engage: This is competition at grassroots level, typically club led with a local focus on fun competition where people can explore different aspects of the sport and improve their skills

Challenge: Regular competition for developing riders with opportunities for personal achievements and goals. These will be discipline specific, require a higher level of skill and introduce riders to ranking systems.

Advance: Aimed at experienced competitors who want to progress up through the sport and compete at a higher level. More demanding competition where results and rankings matter to those involved.

Elite: Pinnacle of domestic scene, aimed at the best riders in the country, and those wishing to reach that level. Events will be national and international standard, engaging spectators and media coverage.

“This project comes at a pivotal moment in the evolution of our sport as we undertake a bold and comprehensive transformation of our competition framework, so it reflects the needs of riders, coaches, volunteers and communities across the country," Amy Gardner, sport and participation director at BC, said

“It will play a vital role in delivering British Cycling’s strategic priorities to support and grow the sport, and the framework sets out our vision for a modern, inclusive and high-quality competition structure that will shape the future of competitive cycling in Britain.”

The changes will be delivered over the next 14 months as BC's project team will co-design and deliver them. Focus groups and work sessions will be held from Spring 2026 onwards, and BC are calling for all those interested to get involved.

Comment: can the governing body revive the racing scene?

The challenges of delivering cycling events for people at all levels are well established, and British Cycling has always been in the firing line when it comes to shortcomings across the sport and the changes that are needed.

When the sport was booming in the period up to 2012, BC enjoyed big investment from the likes of Sky, growing membership, good will and enthusiasm for the sport across the board.

The domestic sport was seemingly in rude health, although the fundamentals underpinning it were in all truth the same as they'd always been. There has been a seismic shift since then and many volunteer organisers tell us that putting an event on is now more hassle than it's worth (mainly paperwork and costs), and lay the blame at BC's door.

While not untrue, the difficulties are not all the fault of the governing body as organising events involves permissions from various stake holders, risk assessments, insurance, and various other costs that aren't all in their control.

Keep in mind BC oversees road and track racing, mountain bike (cross country and downhill), cyclo-cross, speedway, and now gravel and you get more of an idea of the task facing them. Each of these disciplines have unique requirements which can also be area specific. In road racing for example, the South East region struggles to put on big events due to the density of the population and resulting number of cars on the road.

Other parts of the country will have a lack of facilities and infrastructure, or issues over land use preventing them from organising the events they'd like. Like most things in life, it gets ever more complex the deeper you dive into it.

Having this framework does seem like a strong starting point, but the hard work is about to begin.

Having inaugurated and organised the British Gravel Championships for the past five seasons, Red On Sports has walked away from the event after British Cycling opted to begin running its own version.

Red On, which also organises The Gralloch gravel event, said in a statement that it had been unable to reach an agreement with British Cycling that "protects the integrity, ambition, and sustainability of the Championships."

It added: "After choosing not to be involved during the British Gravel Championships' formative five years of growth and delivery, British Cycling is now looking to take the Championships forward under their own structure."

It went on to say it had failed to secure "key guarantees" from British Cycling that would ensure "fair and safe racing delivery, long-term [media] investment, racing for all age groups, and sustainable event growth".

Red On's Maximilian Wussler told Cycling Weekly this was largely due to age group racing that was set to be in 10-year brackets rather than the current five years, as well as difficulty funding things such as exclusive-use environments and control rooms, because of the loss of "50% of commercial rights".

Explaining the points about investment, Wussler said that BC had only offered Red On a one-year contract

"You can't invest in something if there's no guarantee of a future addition, because that's the idea of investing – you reap the rewards down the line," he said. "One would hope there's a realisation on British Cycling's front that it's going to require investment, and that can only happen if there's multi-year commitments."

Wussler added that Red On Sports had nevertheless been invited to take part in the tendering process as BC searched for an organiser, but said its plans were uninspiring and seemed like a "rinse and repeat" from other disciplines. "I think it's just more of the same, really. And I think a thriving discipline like gravel needs an approach that is appropriate for it, rather than a bit of a rinse and repeat from other disciplines."

"It's obviously not the news we were hoping to share at this point in the year," Wussler said. "It's been a long process, and it's come to what is, on the whole, a rather sad conclusion."

Red On could feasibly, and legally, continue to run its own version of the championships, but decided it would not make sense for riders or organisers.

"It would not be in anyone's interest for there to be two competing championships," Wussler said. "And that's also why, from the get-go, we've been very open to to working with British Cycling. In 2021 when the first event launched, and we did approach British Cycling about this, but at the time, it was not something they believed in or wanted to support.

"So obviously, over those sort of formative years, we made the investment and put in the time and effort and dedication to grow it," he said. "Now we're here five years later. It's a thriving discipline, and it's become a thriving discipline without British Cycling involvement. Obviously it was probably a bit of a turning point for British Cycling to say they want in."

Responding to Red On's statement, a British Cycling spokesman rejected the idea that there would be any issues over safety and fairness, saying in a statement:

“Gravel is an ever-growing and popular discipline, and we are excited to be expanding our delivery moving forward. We are currently out to tender for a sanctioned British Gravel Championships for the first time in 2026 with lots of interest from enthusiastic and knowledgeable event providers.

“We are committed to ensuring events work for everyone involved, from riders to event organisers, from volunteers to the wider cycling network, and this is central to our strategic work in modernising the sport. Fair and safe racing is paramount to our delivery of events across disciplines and is critical in our decision making when collaborating with event providers to deliver competition.”

For its part Red On remained optimistic about the future, Wussler said, with the imminent announcement of a new event, which would "essentially take The Gralloch-type format without the UCI brand to a venue in England".

"We've seen the success of The Gralloch and we're trying to bring that to more venues," he added. "And as we've seen with Dalby Forest and other venues we've looked at over the past, there's some beautiful gravel available across Britain."

The calendar for the National Road Series will grow in size in 2026, with an extra event added for both the female and open categories.

The series is the highest tier of racing in the UK and is overseen by British Cycling. Next year, the women’s series will consist of eight rounds, while the men’s will count seven; the new round, details of which are still to be announced, is scheduled for 12 July.

It is possible the new round is a returning event that was previously part of the series. The placeholder falls in the same mid-July slot as the Lancaster GP, which was on hiatus last year, although no announcement has been made regarding its return.

This year, the individual titles were won by DAS-Hutchinson’s Robyn Clay, who has signed a contract to join Women’s WorldTour team Picnic PostNL in 2026, and Adam Howell, whose team Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck announced their closure last week.

As well as the new round, there are a few tweaks to the series in 2026; the formerly named Ryedale GP, which was replaced by the Wentworth Woodhouse GP in 2025, returns to its Ampleforth home as the North Yorkshire GP; while the South Molton GP takes the place of the Witheridge and Dawlish GPs, expected to be held on a similar, but not identical route, and under a new organiser.

British Cycling also announced the dates for the National Circuit Series, criterium races held in the summer. The series will remain at six rounds, but next year will take place over five weeks rather than three. The event order has also been shuffled.

DAS-Hutchinson's Clay also won the women's Circuit Series in 2025. Thomas Armstrong (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) won in the open category.

Details of the 2026 British National Road Championships are expected to follow in the new year.

Lloyds National Road Race Women’s Series

Round 1: 10th Anexo/CAMS Women's CiCLE Classic, Rutland – Sunday 22 March 2026
Round 2: The East Cleveland Classic, Saltburn – Sunday 12 April 2026
Round 3: Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix – Women, Lincoln – Sunday 10 May 2026
Round 4: Tour of the Reservoir, Consett – Sunday 7 June 2026
Round 5: TBA – Sunday 12 July 2026
Round 6: South Molton GP, South Molton – Sunday 19 July 2026
Round 7: Curlew Cup, Stamfordham – Sunday 9 August 2026
Round 8: North Yorkshire Grand Prix, Ampleforth – Sunday 16 August 2026

Lloyds National Road Race Open Series

Round 1: The East Cleveland Classic, Saltburn – Sunday 12 April 2026
Round 2: Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix – Open, Lincoln – Sunday 10 May 2026
Round 3: Tour of the Reservoir, Consett – Sunday 7 June 2026
Round 4: TBA – Sunday 12 July 2026
Round 5: South Molton GP, South Molton – Sunday 19 July 2026
Round 6: Beaumont Trophy, Stamfordham – Sunday 9 August 2026
Round 7: North Yorkshire Grand Prix, Ampleforth – Sunday 16 August 2026

Lloyds National Circuit Open & Women Series

Round 1: Fort Vale Colne Grand Prix 2026, Colne – Tuesday 16 June 2026
Round 2: 2026 LOGCO Otley Cycle Races, Otley – Wednesday 1 July 2026
Round 3: 2026 Ilkley Cycle Races, Ilkley – Friday 3 July 2026
Round 4: CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races, Guildford – Wednesday 8 July 2026
Round 5: Dawlish Grand Prix, Dawlish – Friday 17 July 2026
Round 6: Sheffield Grand Prix, Sheffield – Wednesday 22 July 2026

If helping Team GB to Olympic glory at the 2028 Olympics feels like the dream job, then British Cycling might just have a job for you.

The Great Britain Cycling Team (GBCT), and by extension BC, is looking for a new performance engineering mechanic to help design and develop the next generation of groundbreaking bikes.

There's no pressure, with 11 Olympic and 22 Paralympic medals being won in Paris last summer, as well as their joint-best UCI Track World Championships in 2024.

The mechanic will be part of GBCT's innovation arm, heavily involved in helping GB towards medals and adapt to the latest rule changes.

Currently, the GBCT ride the latest version of the Hope-Lotus HBT, which was ridden to success at both Tokyo and LA, and this will be updated again for Los Angeles in just under three years time. The GBCT performance director, Stephen Park, has called the HBT the "most advanced bike that has ever been ridden by British athletes".

According to the advert, which went live last week: "A key focus of this role is the meticulous preparation and maintenance of equipment for performance testing and development activities.

"The successful candidate will support aerodynamic testing, position optimisation, and equipment development by ensuring all mechanical aspects of test equipment are optimised and reliable."

"This role offers the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of cycling technology, collaborating with world-class athletes, coaches, and performance engineers to enhance efficiency across multiple cycling disciplines," the advert continues.

The key accountabilities range from preparing and maintaining equipment to testing to keeping up to date with the latest developments in bike tech.

BC is looking for someone "meticulous", "technically curious", "collaborative", a "problem solver", and "professional". You should apply if you have a relevant mechanical engineering qualification, with a degree in mechanical or sports engineering desired; you also need to have proven experience as a bike mechanic.

Candidates are expected to "have a genuine interest in how equipment works and how it can be improved. You actively seek to understand the engineering principles behind performance gains and are eager to learn new skills and techniques".

The role is based at the National Cycling Centre, the salary is listed as up to £32,000, and the successful engineer will be expected to start as soon as possible. Candidates have until 9 November to apply. If you want to get a taste of the action, the UCI Track World Championships begin tomorrow.

There are likely to be no British Continental teams at the Tour of Britain Women next year, due to a UCI rule amendment that effectively stops them from competing in the event.

Announced in July, and taking effect today, the rule prevents Continental teams from taking part in WorldTour events. Instead, only the top two tiers – WorldTeams and ProTeams – are able to compete, as well as one national team from the country of the organiser, in this case the Great Britain national team.

This year’s edition of the Tour of Britain Women counted all five of the country’s Continental squads: CJ O’Shea Racing, DAS-Hutchinson, Handsling Alba Development, Hess Cycling and Smurfit Westrock.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Alba team boss Bob Lyons said it is “very disappointing” the teams will no longer be able to take part in the race.

“I fully understand and get the rationale for the change in regulations from a UCI perspective; it brings parity with the men, and there’s the introduction of the ProTeams which makes a level playing field,” he said, but added: “[The Tour of Britain] is the only UCI women’s race in the UK, and it’s a great opportunity to be in the shop window to showcase our capabilities against the best in the world on home soil. That is important.”

This feeling was echoed by Smurfit boss Rick Lister, who fears not competing will make it harder to appeal to potential sponsors. “It’s the biggest race we did this year and last year,” he said. “That’s the only race in the UK that’s televised now.

“[Without us being there] there’s no incentive for British companies to jump on the sponsorship bandwagon.”

The new UCI amendment does not completely rule out Continental teams from competing in WorldTour events; if fewer than 15 WorldTeams or ProTeams confirm attendance 30 days before an event, the organisers can invite Continental teams as wild cards. Continental teams will only be invited if all 16 WorldTour and 10 ProTeams can't fill those 15 places.

The chance of this happening is slim; however, as both Lyons and Lister point out, the Tour of Britain Women has never had a full field. A number of WorldTour teams have skipped the race in recent years, citing post-Brexit complications in travelling to the UK. This June’s edition had 19 teams out of a maximum of 24.

For the Continental-level riders, races like the Tour of Britain provide a rare chance to challenge themselves against the WorldTour squads. This year, 20 British riders from across the five Continental teams started the race. Two of them have since gone on to sign WorldTour contracts for 2026: Alba’s Lauren Dickson, who is joining FDJ-SUEZ, and DAS-Hutchinson’s Robyn Clay, who is bound for Picnic PostNL.

“I really loved it this year,” Clay told Cycling Weekly when asked about her Tour of Britain debut. “I think I did a decent ride there, and that was probably one of the things that helped me get this pro contract, because I could show that I was able to be up there.”

Speaking to Cycling Weekly earlier this year, Clay’s DAS-Hutchinson sports director Olly Moors said exposing riders to the top level “is what development’s about”. It was in large part for this reason that the team accepted invitations to race the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and the Tour de Suisse this year, unaware that their riders will not be able to do the WorldTour events next season.

Now, with no promise of UCI-level racing in the UK, British teams are looking to events elsewhere. Smurfit boss Lister explained he is in the process of renting a house in Belgium so his team can expand their calendar across mainland Europe next season. Alba did more than 70 race days outside of the UK this year, and plan to do similar going forwards.

One option the teams could pursue to return to the Tour of Britain in the future is stepping up a tier to ProTeam status. Alba hope to do this by 2027, with the main obstacle being the increase in budget requirements. “You’re looking at more than £1.5m, if you’re going to do it properly,” said Lyons – more than seven times his team’s current budget.

Lister said Smurfit is “nowhere near” having the funds to step up.

Alternatively, race organiser British Cycling could drop the event down a tier from WorldTour to ProTour, bringing it level with the Tour of Britain Men, and loosening the entry criteria.

Contacted by Cycling Weekly about this prospect, a British Cycling spokesperson said: "Our commitment is to continue to grow and develop the Lloyds Tour of Britain, so a downgrade from UCI Women's WorldTour status is not something we are currently considering, however we will continue to discuss these regulation changes and their impact with the UCI to explore how we can continue to support British riders going forwards."

And so, for the first time since the race’s inception as the Women’s Tour in 2014, there are likely to be no domestic teams at the Tour of Britain Women in August next year.

“It is absolutely ludicrous,” said Lyons. “You look at the other Conti teams in the UK, perhaps not quite all of them, we all support the British cycling scene. We all fly the British flag in what we do, and it is a bit of a kick in the teeth to not be able to ride in that race. Absolutely, there’s no question about that.”

Still, he added: “Our calendar doesn’t revolve around the women’s Tour of Britain… Life goes on, we just get on and do what we do.”

Ineos Grenadiers rider Josh Tarling is set to make his UCI Track World Championships debut next week.

The 21-year-old time trial specialist has been selected for the event in Santiago, Chile as part of Great Britain’s 22-rider squad, which counts both debutants and experienced track Olympians.

A two-time national champion inside the velodrome, Tarling’s last track race with GB came at the UCI Nations Cup round in Australia in February 2024, where he won gold with the team pursuit squad. In Santiago, he will compete in the points race and the Madison, alongside Mark Stewart, according to the entry list.

The pair are joined in the men’s endurance squad by Olympic silver medallist Charlie Tanfield, former individual pursuit world record holder Josh Charlton, 2023 scratch race world champion Will Tidball, Rapha Super-League winner Matt Bostock and debutant Michael Gill.

In the women’s endurance squad, double Olympic champion Katie Archibald will compete in the elimination race and the Madison, with debutant Maddie Leech, but will not feature in the team pursuit.

“The only other time I’ve not ridden the team pursuit at Worlds was 2017, so I find it a wee bit tricky,” Archibald said in a press conference this week. The 31-year-old began working with her brother, John, as a coach earlier this year, and has been training in Glasgow, with her eye on making the team pursuit squad for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

“It’s meant I’ve not been able to make the prep sessions [in Manchester] for team pursuit at Worlds,” she said. “Incidentally, because I’m not riding team pursuit at Worlds, my Hope bike will be ridden by one of the men’s team, because they have a really fresh cohort.”

The remaining three of last year’s world-title-winning squad – Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Megan Barker – will ride the team pursuit in Santiago, alongside Olympic bronze medallist Jess Roberts.

In the sprint events, Olympic champion Emma Finucane will look to earn her third individual sprint title in a row. The 22-year-old is the only one of the team sprint trio who won gold at the Paris Olympics competing at next week's Worlds. She will race alongside debutants Iona Moir, Rhianna Parris-Smith and Rhian Edmunds, with 2023 Worlds silver medallist Lauren Bell also competing across the sprint events.

Two months after breaking the 200m flying lap world record, Matthew Richardson will make his long-awaited Worlds debut for GB. The sprinter, who won three medals for Australia at last year's Olympics, swapped nationality to his birth country after the Games, and was ineligible for selection at last October's Worlds in Copenhagen.

Richardson will be joined by Harry Ledingham-Horn, Joe Truman and Hamish Turnball in the men’s sprint squad, which said farewell to the retiring Jack Carlin earlier this week.

Commenting on the squad, GB performance director Stephen Park said: “As we often see at this stage in an Olympic cycle, we have a great mix of world championship veterans and up and coming talent heading to Santiago.

“I’m looking forward to seeing where we sit among the other nations as all eyes turn to LA 2028.”

The full GB squad for the 2025 UCI Track World Championships in Santiago is below. The event will run from 22-26 October at the Velódromo Peñalolen.

Great Britain's 22-rider squad

Men’s Endurance
Matthew Bostock
Josh Charlton
Michael Gill
Mark Stewart
Josh Tarling
Charlie Tanfield
Will Tidball

Women’s Endurance
Katie Archibald
Meg Barker
Josie Knight
Maddie Leech
Anna Morris
Jessica Roberts

Men’s sprint
Harry Ledingham-Horn
Matthew Richardson
Joe Truman
Hamish Turnbull

Women’s Sprint
Lauren Bell
Rhian Edmunds
Emma Finucane
Iona Moir
Rhianna Parris-Smith

Four-time Olympic medallist Jack Carlin has announced his retirement from cycling at the age of 28.

The track sprinter was part of Great Britain’s squad for 10 years, and went to the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games, winning silver in the team sprint and bronze in the individual sprint at both.

Carlin’s decision to retire comes as he feels he’s not willing to “give that 100%” to be competitive for the current Olympic cycle to Los Angeles 2028.

Following the Paris Olympics last summer, he said in a press conference this week: “I took a bit of time away to try and find that fire and urge to go again for another four years… and the motivation never came back to really feel like I could throw myself back into it for another long period of time, to give it my all.

“Looking back at my career, you can win or lose things by thousands of a second, and if I wasn’t going to give that 100%, which I don’t feel I have to give, I don’t think it’s worth doing. I think I’d be doing myself a disservice, the people around me a disservice, and also the jersey a disservice.”

Born in Paisley, on the outskirts of Glasgow, Carlin grew up playing football, but fractured both of his ankles when he was 14. He then got into riding mountain and road bikes, before realising he “wasn’t very good in the wet and cold, which isn’t ideal for Scotland, and I’m not very good up hills, so the second the warmth of the [Sir Chris Hoy] Velodrome opened in 2012, it was a no brainer for me.”

Inspired by the Commonwealth Games in his home city in 2014, the Scot joined the GB senior academy two years later, still a teenager, and has since collected four Olympic medals, six World Championships medals, six European Championships medals, and three Commonwealth Games medals, all either silver or bronze.

His final competitive appearance came in the keirin final of the Paris Olympics last August, in which he crashed and injured his hip.

“I am content and truly happy with my career. It’s been 10 years within a high performance role at [British Cycling], and I’ve achieved so much within that and I’m content with that. I thought at that point, ‘What else is there to chase, when I don’t have 100% of me to give to it anymore?’” he said.

“If I was to look back and say to 18-year-old Jack, ‘Listen, you’re going to walk away in 10 years’ time with four Olympic medals around your neck…’ I think I would have bit your hand off for that.”

It’s remembering his younger self that Carlin begins to imagine the legacy he hopes to leave in the sport.

“I sold my Xbox for rollers when I was a kid. My parents sold one of the cars for a set of wheels so that I could actually compete with others that might have had more money to give to their kids. But what my parents gave me, and what I’ve learned from them, is they gave me a lot of their time, they gave me a kind of unwavering self belief, even when I didn’t have it sometimes,” he said.

“I think if I can inspire a kid from a similar background to me to really try and give it a go, and inspire others to help those people achieve what they want to achieve, the way I got helped, that would be massive.”

The Commonwealth Games return to Glasgow next year. Although the event was once an enticing prospect for Carlin, it is one he has ultimately decided to forego.

“I’m totally hanging up my helmet,” he stressed. “I’m not 100% in it anymore. If I want to represent my country and have that jersey on my back, have the honour of having that jersey on my back, whether that’s Scotland or GB, I want to make sure that I’m giving it everything I can… and I decided I wasn’t ready to do that.”

Carlin’s coach and former team-mate Sir Jason Kenny said the Scot’s retirement leaves a “performance gap” in the GB sprint squad.

“I know all his former team-mates and support staff would join me in wishing him all the best with his future endeavours,” Kenny said, “along with his golf handicap!”

Inclusion in the Winter Olympics has the potential to rewrite the landscape of cyclo-cross, says GB national coach Matt Ellis.

"From a GB perspective it's massively exciting," he told Cycling Weekly this week. "It would, I believe, dramatically change everything."

He was responding to recent comments by Sebastian Coe in a Guardian interview, in which the International Olympic Committee member, and IAAF president, hinted strongly that the discipline could be included in the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

“I think there’s a good chance it’ll happen,” Lord Coe said. “And I think it’s come at the right moment, because [IOC president] Kirsty Coventry is certainly prepared to think differently about the programme....”

This latter point is good news, because a new take on winter sports would be necessary from the IOC were give cyclo-cross the green light. As it stands, only sports practiced on snow and ice are allowed in the Winter Olympic Games. Coventry has been reexamining this.

There is precedent for running cross on snow and ice – the current Val di Sole event, for example. But it isn't cyclo-cross as most of us know it – or as the world's top riders train for.

Coe also said that cross-country running, which campaigners have long backed for Olympic inclusion, could share the same course as the cyclo-cross.

Ellis, who has headed up British Cycling's cyclo-cross programme since 2017, added: "It would take time to have a knock-on effect, but I think on all different levels, it will massively change it.

"From the GB perspective, there's potential to put in place development programmes and more of an official funded pathway," he added.

The effects, he said would extend all the way down to the youth riders.

"You would open up the pool of development, he said. "You're going to broaden the pyramid at the bottom for development – there will be more riders involved in our pool of talent.

"There's a lot of short-term excitement," Ellis added, "but then once it starts getting a bit more notoriety, and then you get the actual Winter Olympics. Suddenly, you've got a whole new audience – a shop window for more people to come and get involved."

He cautioned about getting too excited about the prospect though, and referred back to a time during his career when precisely the same thing was being discussed – to no avail.

"When I raced, my first World Championships were in Slovakia. They were doing it there to showcase that cross could be run on ice, with an eye on trying to get it into the Winter Olympics," he said. "There's always been small rumblings, but this has been by far the biggest thing I've ever heard about."

As to when we would be treated to a definite answer, Ellis does not know, and the goalposts keep changing.

"They said it was going to be announced at last year's cross Worlds, and they said it might be announced in March after the IOC presidential election. And then I've heard again, it could be sometime in the autumn. At this point," he said, "I would hope sometime this winter."

As Storm Amy swept through the UK and Ireland last weekend, pulling walls of rain in its wake and leaving over 40,000 homes powerless, there was, on a hillside in Dorset, an afternoon of relative peace.

The ground, still damp from the day before, was a small memory of the storm that had ripped through the country – leaving in its wake “an incredibly strong tailwind” hugging the top of the hill (“I think a lot of riders were happy with that,” laughed the Zig Zag Hill Climb's organiser, Elliott Colyer).

64 riders lined up on Sunday to race the Zig-Zag Hill in Shaftesbury, a climb in the Dorset hills in a series of hairpin bends at a 15% maximum gradient, over 3.8 kilometres, to the sound of clanging cow bells and spectators sipping hot coffees fresh from the on-site machine.

“It was basically everything that I hoped it would be”, a tired Colyer told Cycling Weekly after the event. “The mix of riders we had was really cool to see, from domestic riders through to local clubs and people who just enjoyed riding their bikes.

“And the atmosphere on the hill sections was really cool - there were lots of cowbells which definitely helped create the atmosphere. Coming back to HQ after everyone had finished, there was a really good buzz in the village hall, just like a really good sense of camaraderie, and just a happy sort of vibe.”

Colyer has cycling in his blood. As a kid, he would ride the New Forest with his dad, before properly committing to cycling training in sixth form, and competing in hill climbs in COVID. Having found himself back at home post-uni, as the summer began to shift to autumn, Colyer began scouring the Cycling Time Trials (CTT) map. While there were still races in Bristol and around London, he found there was next to no races in the Dorset area - and the idea for the Zig Zag Hill Climb began.

“The gradient isn’t anything special,” he said of the climb he fondly refers to as “Dorset’s mini Alpe d’Huez”. “You can find steeper [hills] for longer, but the fact that you’ve got three proper hairpins back to back is quite unique.”

“[Hill-climbing] is completely mental, but at the same time, it’s incredibly welcoming,” Colyer added.

“The barrier to entry is so low, because there’s no need for any specialist equipment. It really is just you and your bike, and if the weather’s quite horrible, which it’s mainly going to be in September/October/November, [the race is] only 5-10 minutes long.”

But the Zig-Zag climb was also hosted in response to wider - and worrying - trends in cycling.

“Lots of events and road races specifically are really struggling for entries and being able to cover their costs,” he said. “I think that it’s become like the chicken or the egg [situation] - riders wanting concrete information that [the race] is going to go ahead before they enter, but the race can’t go ahead if the organisers don't have the entries.”

“I think it's just got itself caught in a negative spiral at the moment. And it’s about, how can we flip that around?”

Colyer is taking matters into his own hands, the Zig Zag Hill Climb one step in his mission to address a dwindling domestic race scene.

“British professional road cycling is struggling with no male continental teams, fewer events and fewer chances. We don't want to sit idly by - we're going to try and build something that could help it change," the 21-year old said.

"Next for me is transitioning towards setting up a British cycling team for next year with a couple of friends and people who helped put on the hill climb this weekend. It’s a team called Aero CLCTV.

"The two goals of the team are to try and reach the Tour of Britain within five years, and then help rebuild British cycling and the grassroots [scene] whilst we do it.”

"We believe British racing can be: community-powered, rider-focused, media-literate, and exciting again," reads the collective's mission statement, as they cement their squad now set to tackle National B races.

Coyler and the Aero CLCTV are one part of a wider network of clubs patching the gaps growing in the national race calendar, from Max Sillifant's rescue of the Leicester Forest CC Road Race, to My Pad Racing's lifeline funds for riders competing abroad.

Amidst mass-closures of bike shops and rising organisational costs, Colyer, and young riders intent on creating a thriving local scene like him, are laying the groundwork for an exciting future for British cycling.

The dates for the Lloyds Tours of Britain Men and Women 2026 have been announced, with both races taking place over five stages across three weeks in late August and early September next year

The men's ProTour race has been reduced from six stages to five, while the Women's WorldTour event has been increased from four to five, meaning that there is gender parity across the stages.

The 2026 Tour of Britain Women will take place from 19-23 August, moving slot from June, while the Tour of Britain Men remains in its place in the calendar, taking place 2-6 September.

Both are organised by British Cycling Events (BCE), the events arm of the sport's governing body in the UK. The women's race was won by Ally Wollaston (FDJ-SUEZ) this year, while Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) won the men's race. The men's race also saw Geraint Thomas retire.

The move is billed as a "three-week cycling celebration across the country" by British Cycling.

"Aligning these two major, showpiece events within a matter of weeks will enable us to increase visibility and amplify the extraordinary buzz around each individual race, to continue to build the Lloyds Tour of Britain and engage a growing audience through the joy of cycling," Jonathan Day, BCE's managing director, said.

"Bringing an equal number of stages across the Lloyds Tour of Britain women and men’s races for the first time is a bold move we are extremely proud of and part of our strategic commitment to achieving gender parity, having already immediately increasing prize money for the women’s race last year.

"We are very excited to seeing many more people from communities across the UK taking to the roadsides in 2026 and beyond for this cycling extravaganza of world-class racing which rides past their front doors."

This year's Tour of Britain Women had its largest ever field – 19 teams and 110 riders, including 12 WorldTour squads – while the Tour of Britain Men had the most riders of the start list since the pandemic, including nine WorldTour teams.

Lizzie Deignan, the last British elite road world champion, welcomed the move.

"Throughout my career I’ve always championed women’s sport and races, so it is brilliant to see British Cycling has pushed for full parity in the number of stages at the Lloyds Tour of Britain women and men," Deignan said. "I have seen the impact the event has had in communities across the country, and the role it has for inspiring the next generation, especially young girls who want to get out and ride a bike, whether it is competitively or recreationally.

"I have seen gradual change during my career, and this is another positive step for women’s cycling. A move like this to bring the joy of cycling to more people is incredibly encouraging, and I am excited to see the world-class racing at the Tour in 2026."

The next couple of years will also see the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift come to the UK, in 2027. The men's race is set to start in Edinburgh.

Anna Henderson, Josh Tarling and Ethan Hayter will be the only riders representing Great Britain at the UEC Road European Championships next week.

The event, scheduled for 1-5 October and taking place in the southeast of France, will crown the Continental champions across the junior, under-23 and elite ranks in road race and time trial disciplines.

GB’s trio will only compete in the elite time trials, with no riders fielded in any of the other events, despite the country qualifying a full eight-rider team for the men's road race, and six riders for the women's road race.

The decision comes due to the event’s proximity in the calendar to the ongoing UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, said squad performance director Stephen Park.

“With the Euros falling so closely on from the world championships this year, we will be focusing our efforts on the time-trial events specifically and are pleased we’re able to field three strong contenders across the elite categories,” Park said.

The Road European Championships begin in France’s Drôme department next Wednesday, three days after the Worlds conclude this Sunday in Rwanda.

Henderson is the only rider of the GB trio who competed in Kigali, placing eighth in the women's elite time trial. Tarling only returned to racing this month after breaking multiple vertebrae in his back in a crash at May’s Giro d’Italia, while Hayter rejoins the national squad fresh from time trial victory at the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg last week.

In recent years, British Cycling has taken a targeted approach to squad selection, prioritising events in which they have medal prospects. The governing body’s budget for the Great Britain Cycling Team comes as part of its Olympic cycle funding, which must be managed across the four years leading up to Los Angeles 2028.

Last year, Great Britain did not take any riders to the European Championships, then held in Belgium, marking the third edition in four years without British representation.

This Saturday in Rwanda, there will be no British riders in the elite women’s road race at the World Championships for the first time since 1994, the squad selectors choosing instead to focus on the inaugural women’s under-23 event. There were also no British riders fielded in the men’s elite time trial, and no British squad entered into the mixed relay time trial.

The women’s and men’s individual time trials at the European Championships will take place on the same day, Wednesday 1 October, on the same 24km course between Loriol-sur-Drôme and Étoile-sur-Rhône.

Speaking about the chances of Tarling, Henderson and Hayter, performance director Park said: “All three have proven results in the discipline, with one Olympic, three world and two European medals between them and I look forward to seeing how they take on the course and the rest of the field at this event.”

The newly minted time trial world champions Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) are also on the start lists.

British pro Cat Ferguson has decided to put her cyclo-cross and track racing on hold to focus on her road career.

The 19-year-old, a current world champion in the cyclo-cross mixed relay event and a double junior world champion on the track, will forgo both cyclo-cross and track programmes this winter, and instead use the time to train towards her second season with WorldTour team Movistar.

The decision, Ferguson explained, comes as a “trial” to see how she finds devoting herself to one discipline.

“I’ve grown up on lots of different bikes, and I really enjoyed that, and I would recommend that to anyone to try all different bikes,” she said. “I think, for me, road is my priority and also my favourite type of cycling. I was doing track and also cyclo-cross before, but I have made the decision for next year to just do road.

“It’s not that I’ll never come back to either of them. I’m 100% sure that I will come back to one of them. But for me, it was something I would have done eventually in my career, just focusing on one discipline, and I’ve chosen to do that now.”

Last winter, Ferguson rode eight cyclo-cross events, placing second at the British National Championships, and delaying the start of her road campaign to mid-March.

“My last cross season was definitely not what I’d hoped for,” she said, “and I didn’t want to end it, partly because I didn’t want to seem like I was giving up on it after a bad season, but within that season, I had no preparation for the races, and that’s not me.

“If I’m going to do something, I want to do it 100%, so for me it was either I really commit and do a full cyclo-cross calendar and start much earlier than I did last year, or I don’t do it and I fully focus on road,” the Brit added.

“If I miss it, and I still have the desire to do it and want to commit to it 100% as well, then I’ll do that next year.”

Ferguson is not the first multi-disciplinarian to trim down her racing commitments. Last winter, Tom Pidcock opted to skip the cyclo-cross season to prioritise the road, following his switch from Ineos Grenadiers to Q36.5 Pro Cycling. He went on to score his first Grand Tour podium at the Vuelta a España this month.

Other riders, like Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, have reduced their cyclo-cross calendars in recent years, while Olympic mountain bike champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has not raced a mountain bike event since returning to the road this season.

Reflecting on her first full year as a pro, Ferguson said it’s been “what I’d hoped for” but also “much more challenging” than she anticipated.

“To be honest, I’ve found the times when I’ve had to race myself [as a leader] much more easy to deal with, but then when I’m racing with the team, and it’s pressure I’m putting on myself to perform for someone else, that’s something that I’m still learning to deal with,” she said.

Her results count a first WorldTour win on a stage of the Tour of Britain Women, victory at the one-day Navarra Classic, as well as third place at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and a string of top-10s.

The reigning junior world champion in the road race and time trial, Ferguson will travel to Rwanda later this week for the UCI Road World Championships, where she will take part in the under-23 women’s road race.

“Of course, I would love to be in the top five, that would probably be a goal,” she said. “I’ve never done an under-23 race, so I think there’s a lot of unknown things... The dynamic of the under-23 race is something new to me, and I’m really excited to see what it’s all about.”

The under-23 women’s road race will take place on 25 September.

Seventh place in the final round was enough for Robyn Clay (DAS-Hutchinson) to clinch the National Road Series on Sunday, completing an impressive treble in also winning the National Circuit Series and the inaugural Rapha Super-League.

The 21-year-old first earned the white leader’s jersey in May, going on to win the Tour of the Reservoir in June, and placing consistently in or near the top 10 in all seven events of the series. In Sunday’s curtain closer, the Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prix in South Yorkshire, Clay went in with the plan to “stay out of trouble”, and guarantee her series lead.

“We just had to follow,” she said afterwards, adding that winning her first National Road Series title “means a lot – I didn’t really expect it coming into this season. In the first few rounds I did, I did better than I expected, but it was a slow start. It’s really nice that it’s come round this way.”

Clay’s breakthrough year was rewarded with a call-up to race the Tour de l’Avenir for Great Britain last week, where she finished 53rd. Last season, her spring was blighted by a finish-line crash in which she broke four vertebrae in her back, and had to undergo surgery for a fractured collarbone.

Her dominance this year means she secured the National Road Series by 57 points ahead of Smurfit Westrock’s Holly Ramsey (280 to 223), and won the Rapha Super-League – which comprises sixteen events including road races, criteriums and the National Championships – by a narrow five points ahead of track cycling Olympian Anna Morris (346 to 341).

It was Clay’s DAS-Hutchinson team-mate, Tammy Miller, who won the final round in the grounds of Wentworth Woodhouse, a Grade I listed mansion. The victory marked four on the trot in the series for the squad, and came after an 80km solo, Miller attacking just two laps into the five-lap race.

“For some reason, no one came with me,” the 25-year-old told Cycling Weekly. “I think I just caught the right moment to go. I sort of wish someone had come with me, but it just ended up being quite a long and grippy, windy day out.

“[The win] meant a lot not just for me personally, but for the entire team,” Miller continued. “I don’t think we could have ended the National Series for 2025 off in a better way.”

With the season now over, series winner Clay’s next appointment is a holiday to Florida, where she plans to visit Disneyland.

Howell in disbelief at National Series win

At just 20 years old, Adam Howell never even dreamed of winning the National Road Series this season. But after claiming two victories from six, the MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK rider wrapped up the title at Sunday’s Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prix, with a shaky 15th place.

The final round was won by James McKay, in a one-two for his Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team. The event came down to a reduced bunch sprint, from which Howell was absent, having stopped mid-race to fix a loose saddle.

“To take the overall series lead doesn’t quite feel real,” he told Cycling Weekly. “If you told me last year I’d even have a chance to have the leader’s jersey for a stage, let alone keep it for the entire season, I wouldn’t have believed you. I still can’t quite believe it myself at the moment.”

After winning the opening round in the East Cleveland Classic, Howell took top spot in the Tour of the Reservoir in June. McKay’s victory at Wentworth was also his second of the series, having triumphed too in the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix.

“It was pretty hectic coming into this narrow road,” McKay said on Sunday. “I overshot the corner and ended up on the gravel, but it opened up nicely for me. Tom [Armstrong, Wheelbase team-mate who finished second] would have won, but I think his gears went into crash mode or some such malarkey at the finish… I’m a bit gutted for him in a way, because I’ve already won a round, but I had to sprint because I didn’t know if other guys were coming.”

Meanwhile, Matt Bostock (TEKKERZ CC) secured the Rapha Super-League title, with his performances across summer of crits enough to pip William Truelove (MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK).

After bisecting the UK top to bottom last year, the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men switches tack for 2025 for a six-stage crossways parcours, running from Tuesday, 2 to Sunday, 7 September.

In what is the second edition of the race since British Cycling took over its organisation from Sweetspot, the UCI 2.Pro-ranked race takes riders from Woodbridge in Suffolk to a Welsh finish.

A key part of the sixth and final stage will be honouring Geraint Thomas on what will be the final day's racing of his career. Starting outside the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome in Newport, the stage will finish in his birthplace of Cardiff, after passing the Maindy Velodrome where the Welshman cut his teeth.

It's broadly a race of two halves, with the initial three stages largely flat (though not without the odd classified climb), and the final three becoming markedly more hilly. That applies especially to stage five, which will see riders tackle a summit finish on the infamous climb of The Tumble.

Proceedings begin with two stages in Suffolk before heading west to central England, then the West Midlands, and finally Wales for the last two stages.

Once again the race has attracted some of the best riders in the world, with Remco Evenepoel in particular making headlines, as he lines up for what will be one of his final rides in Soudal Quick-Step colours. Fellow Grand Tour winner Geraint Thomas is there too, of course, as well as four-time ToB stage winner Olav Kooij (Visma Lease-a-bike).

Read the full start list for the 2025 race, from Matthew Brennan to Oscar Onley.

Tour of Britain 2025 stage table

Tour of Britain 2025 stage-by-stage guide

Stage one
Tuesday, 2 September
Woodbridge > Southwold (161.4km)
Start: 11:00am
Finish: 3:05pm

This year's race begins where last year's left off, in East Suffolk, and marks the first time since 2012 that the Tour of Britain Men has started in the area.

The stage will begin in the picturesque riverside town of Woodbridge, not far north of Ipswich, and make its way north to finish at Southwold on the coast.

This part of the world has grown used to welcoming some of the UK's biggest bike races, with the Women's Tour – which has now become the Tour of Britain Women – often frequenting the area.

The 100-mile stage darts east, west, north and south, out to the coast to Aldeburgh and Thorpeness and then back inland as it winds its way towards the Southwold finish.

East Anglia does not have a reputation for being hilly, and that is borne out in the first two stages. This first one features only 1,144m of ascent in 100 miles as it winds its way up through Suffolk. There are no classified climbs, but there is an intermediate sprint at Halesworth after 125km.

That should get the legs of the fast finishers warmed up for a near-inevitable bunch finish in Southwold 40km later, after they have first looped north through the market towns of Bungay and Beccles.

The flat finish will see the bunch hang a 90-degree right-turn as they hit the sea front, with a straight out 400m drag race along the town's North Parade to the finish line.

It's a stage that will allow the fast finishers – to open their account, along with the extra incentive of the leader's jersey to go with the stage victory.

Stage 2
Wednesday, 3 September
Stowmarket > Stowmarket
169.3km
Start: 11:00am
Finish: 3:16pm

The race stays in the East of England for stage two, for what will be the first time the men's Tour of Britain has started or finished in the Mid-Suffolk area (Stowmarket hosted a stage finish of the Women's Tour in 2019).

Stage two is even flatter than the previous day, with a scant 1,075m of ascent, but at the same time features a brace of climbs in the final kilometres, including the first classified climb of the race at Semer Hill.

Around half a mile long, with the main part of the climb at a gradient of 7-8%, Semer Hill comes with around 20km to go, and is followed 10km later by another, non-classified ascent at Cross Green. It's a double whammy that could tip the deck in favour of the punchiest attackers over the pure sprinters. This is the kind of territory that Julian Alaphilippe revels in. But whether or not a) the climbs are hard enough to drop the sprinters and b) the Frenchman still has it in him remains to be seen.

Today's outing – billed as 'The Stowmarket Stage' – is a touch longer than stage one at 169km, and is run off entirely inland, describing an elongated loop. Starting on Ipswich Street in the town centre, the race heads first north out of the town before looping south. It crosses the Dedham Vale National Landscape nature reserve before heading north again to the finish in the centre of Stowmarket, back on Ipswich Street.

Any pure sprinters who fear they may miss out due to the hilly finale can always try their luck at the intermediate sprint, which comes at Stradbroke, 45km into the stage.

There is a good chance an early break will have gone clear by this point though, its members hoovering up those points.

Stage 3
Thursday, 4 September
Milton Keynes > Ampthill
122.8km
Start: 11:30am
Finish: 2:40pm

The Tour of Britain moves to central England for stage three's mazy parcours between Milton Keynes and Ampthill, complete with two loops of a circuit near the finish that takes riders over the same cat-three climb on each.

It's the shortest stage yet, and at 994m of vertical ascent, the flattest too. However, the double ascent of Hillfoot Hill as they tackle the circuit should test the riders' legs at 700m long and a 5.2% average gradient if they find themselves out of position coming into it. With the second of these coming with 15 lumpy kilometres from the finish, there’s a small chance it could provide the springboard for a break and ensuing chase to the line.

The stage marks the first time the race has visited Milton Keynes since 2008, when the town hosted stage two of the race to Newbury. That day saw an Antipodean one-two-three, with Matt Goss taking the stage honours in a bunch sprint, followed closely by Julian Dean and Chris Sutton.

The riders will start the stage on Midsummer Boulevard outside the Milton Keynes Theatre and MK Gallery, threading their way out of the city in the neutralised zone, past the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 team tech campus to the start proper.

The route passes through Woburn Sands and Woburn Abbey Deer Park as it jinks slowly eastward. It introduces them to the 30km circuit and its double bite at the KoM. From there the riders will head back west to finish on Woburn Street in Ampthill town centre.

The double loop – which is technically tackled one-and-a-half times – makes this a great stage to watch the race on, with fans being treated to two passes of the race. Hillfoot Hill will, of course, be the ideal viewing point, with the riders battling it out in slow(er) motion.

Stage 4
Friday, 5 September
Atherstone > Burton Dassett Hills Country Park
186.9km
Start: 10:30am
Finish: 3:12pm

The race’s longest stage is contained to the winding roads of Warwickshire, the county that gave the world William Shakespeare and the sport of rugby. The start town of Atherstone, however, is famous for its own ball game, played every February, in which the winner is the person who is holding the ball after two hours – there is only one rule: players are not allowed to kill each other. For the riders on stage four, the first bit of argy-bargy will come in Cubbington, the site of the day’s only intermediate sprint.

The second half of the stage brings a smattering of climbs that tot up quickly. They’ll come as welcome launchpads for the GC hopefuls, not so much for the sprinters, who by this point will already have enjoyed three reasonably flat days. After the categorised climbs of Friz Hill, Fant Hill and Sun Rising Hill, the race heads into a circuit finale in Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, with three laps that include a steep kicker.

That final rise to the line is only 700m long, but pitched at 9%, it should have the peloton’s best chance to open up some gaps in the bunch. According to the tourist board, there are “breathtaking” views at the top, with the hills dating back to the Jurassic period – not that the riders will have much chance to appreciate them, as they’ll be recovering from their first hilltop test.

Stage 5
Saturday, 6 September
Pontypool > The Tumble
133.5km
Start: 11:30am
Finish: 2:55pm

The penultimate day is the first instalment of a tricky double-header in South Wales. Setting sail from within the peaceful, tree-lined Pontypool Park, the riders will first complete a large loop to the east, passing through Chepstow and Monmouth, and tackling three climbs: the category-two Llangwm and Itton Hill, and the category-three Old Ross Road.

It’s on entering the smaller finishing loop that things will get spicy, though. With around 50km to go, the riders begin their first of two ascents of The Tumble – the longest and hardest climb of this year’s race. Opening with two hairpins with a 10% gradient, the full climb is 5km long, with an average gradient of 8%. At almost 400m altitude, it’s about as close to a mountain as cyclists will find in the UK.

The Tumble was last used in the Tour of Britain more than a decade ago, when Italian Edoardo Zardini won at the top of its slopes. Zardini still holds the Strava KOM today, managing the climb in 12 minutes and 44 seconds, an average speed of 22kph. Second in the leaderboard is former world champion Michał Kwiatkowski, who was runner-up on the day.

The toughest climb in South Wales, The Tumble isn’t as gruelling as its Snowdonia counterparts in the north of the country. Still, it’s notoriety earns it a slot in Simon Warren’s 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of the UK book – albeit only just: it’s number 97.

Stage 6
Sunday, 7 September
Newport > Cardiff
112.2km
Start: 11:45am
Finish: 2:45pm

On Geraint Thomas’s final day as a pro cyclist, the Tour of Britain has pulled out all the stops with a tribute stage to the Welshman, passing by a number of important milestones from his life and career. The first comes at the stage start – Newport’s Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales, whose entrance bears a giant photo of the Ineos Grenadiers rider wearing the Tour de France’s yellow jersey he won in 2018.

From there, the route zigzags north, up to the edge of, but not quite dipping into, the Brecon Beacons National Park. The road here tilts constantly up and down, with no real let up on the flat; stage six may be the event’s shortest at 112km, but it’s unlikely to be its easiest.

Refusing to afford Thomas and the rest of the peloton a processional finish, the race’s final categorised climb – the category-one Caerphilly Mountain (1.3km at 10%) – could see a last-gasp fireworks display for the overall win.

It’s then back on the Thomas trail, as the riders hurtle into Cardiff through the suburb of Maindy, home to the Maindy Velodrome where the Welshman began his cycling journey more than 30 years ago with his first club, Maindy Flyers. There’ll be no time to stop and pay homage, though.

The 2025 Tour of Britain’s flamme rouge will be erected not far from the velodrome’s entrance, indicating one kilometre to go to the finish in Cardiff, Thomas’s hometown. The line will be drawn just short of the city’s castle, where a new race king will be crowned.

Long ago I got my first racing licence. I was surprised that there wasn't any sort of exam or test. I simply handed over a significant proportion of my student funding, and in return British Cycling sent me a bit of paper and ba-boom! I was a fourth-cat.

At my first race it was clear that there was no exam. The Venn diagram of 'People who want a fourth-cat racing licence' and 'People who are technically competent to ride a bike race' would have had no overlap whatsoever. There was no 'exam' to get to the next level either. There was just a winnowing down until at the end of the season all the survivors were third cats. BC had everyone's money, and the fourth-cats who didn't make it were buried in a mass-grave in the Essex countryside.

A friend reminded me of this recently when he suggested that if we wanted to make racing safer, perhaps, like motor racing, there should be a test. He was thinking particularly of pro racing, where it feels as if there are just more and more crashes.

I can't imagine a test would ever happen, but it set me off wondering exactly what a driving test for a pro bike rider might look like. "When I blow my whistle," the examiner would say from the team car, "I want you to respond as if the race is on and the road has narrowed suddenly in a Belgian village."

The rider bunny hops sideways onto the pavement, slaloms through a pavement café, avoids a elderly lady with the Zimmer frame, doesn't crash into the civic flowerpots, and rejoins the road.

"Good!" says the examiner, "but you forgot to knock a 60kph Spanish neo-pro off his bike when you rejoined the race, so I have to put that down as a minor fault."

The examiner pulls the car alongside the rider and holds a 'sticky' bottle out of the window. The rider takes a quick look behind, grabs the bottle, and hangs as the examiner accelerates and tows him up to 60kph.

"Well," said the examiner, "You remained stable under acceleration, and you remembered to check behind for a TV moto or a race commissaire. But I'm afraid you didn't check for TV helicopters. That's another fault."

The rider would then need to make sure they threw the bottle back through the window of the car with the spout open so that the examiner would get his crotch soaked in energy drink. There are few enough opportunities for a rider to get one back at whatever bossy boots is driving the car, and they have to learn to take them.

I would hope that the examiner would set up a feed zone on a 60kph descent, manned by a row of inexperienced helpers, swinging musettes like wrecking balls. A rider would pass if they avoided ending up in an ambulance. There'd be a merit mark for taking anything at all. There'd be two merit marks for emerging with the hat, sunglasses and beer of a spectator.

And there would need to be some media tests. There would be basics, like looking sad that you've just broken your collarbone and now have to go on holiday instead of riding the Tour of Poland. There would be shooting and editing an Instagram reel to promote the interests of a dodgy Middle-Eastern sponsor.

And there would be a post-race interview test, where you have to cheerfully and sincerely tell the world just how much better a rider than you Tadej Pogačar is without it being obvious that really, secretly, you long to do nothing as much as soak those little tufts of helmet hair in petrol and set fire to them.

The 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will once again be broadcast live and free on ITV, British Cycling announced on Friday.

The six-stage race begins in Suffolk on Tuesday 2 September, finishing in Cardiff on Sunday 7 September. The biggest elite men's race in the UK will be shown live on ITV4 and ITVX for the 13th time, the 13th consecutive edition on the channel. There will also be highlights on television and online.

There will be commentary and coverage from ITV's cycling team, including Ned Boulting, just over a month after they finished free-to-air coverage of the Tour de France for a final time.

Among the names expected to be riding the Tour of Britain in September are Remco Evenepoel in one of his final races for Soudal Quick-Step, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) in his final appearance as a pro cyclist, and Tour de France breakout star Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL).

"We are proud to partner with the Lloyds Tour of Britain here at ITV, bringing the very best of British cycling to a free-to-air audience on ITV4 and ITVX," Richard Botchway, commissioning editor at ITV, said. "Viewers will enjoy every heart racing moment, as ITV captures daily highlights, as well as all six stages of the race."

"We are delighted to confirm ITV4 and ITVX as broadcast partners for September, as we continue to bring the Lloyds Tour of Britain to as many people as possible so that they can share in the joy of cycling, and the excitement and action that the race brings each year," Darren Henry, the chief commercial officer at BC, said.

"This year’s Lloyds Tour of Britain Men is going to be another six stages of incredible racing, building to a fantastic climax with our two stages in Wales and overall finish in Cardiff, so it is great that sports fans across Britain can follow all of the action every day on ITV4 and ITVX."

Earlier this year, the Tour of Britain Women was broadcast for free through BBC Sport, but most professional cycling is now behind a paywall for fans in the UK, with TNT Sports taking over from Eurosport this season. 2026 will be the first year the Tour de France will be fully behind a paywall for live coverage.

British Cycling are also encouraging fans to engage with the Tour of Britain on on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X and Strava as well as signing up to receive daily insights in their inbox.

Great Britain's Matthew Richardson lays claim to being the fastest track cyclist of all time, after he broke the world record in the flying 200m on Thursday.

The 26-year-old became the first person in history to clock under nine seconds in the event. His time of 8.941 seconds was just over a tenth of a second quicker than the previous benchmark – 9.088 seconds, set by Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen at last year's Paris Olympics.

Richardson’s effort came in at an average speed of 80.5kph. It was completed at the Konya velodrome in Turkey, which is located at 1,200m altitude.

“I came here to [go sub-nine seconds] and that’s what I did so, it’s a pretty cool feeling to accomplish the one thing that I came out here to do,” Richardson said afterwards

“It was a lot faster [than I’ve previously ridden]. I was basically just a passenger. I gave the bike a bit of direction and it was just steering itself almost. I rode of lot of it outside the sprint lane, so I know there’s a bit more there.”

Speaking before his attempt, the track sprinter said breaking the record would be “one of the biggest things I’ve ever done”.

“People win Olympic medals all the time, people win World Championships all the time, people don’t break world records all the time, and people definitely don’t ride sub nine seconds all the time, because it’s never happened before.”

The flying 200m is not a championship medal event, but rather a qualifying effort used to seed riders in the match sprint.

Richardson is the first British rider to hold the record, after he swapped nationality from Australia in August 2024.

The sprinter briefly held the record last summer, then representing Australia at the Paris Olympics, where he won two silvers and bronze medal. “Literally about 30 seconds [after my effort] I watched Harrie go round the track and I was like, ‘And it’s gone’,” he said.

The velodrome in Konya was opened in 2022, and hosted its first international competition this March in a round of the UCI Track Nations Cup. During the event, Richardson appeared to break Lavreysen’s record, clocking 9.041 seconds, but his effort was scored off by the UCI for straying off the track, beneath the blue band.

Richardson later said the saga taught him “how quick that track was”, which gave him the idea to return to hunt the record.

“I want extra goals, extra things to chase – that’s what this is to me,” he said. “It has a nice ring to it as well. Being the fastest track discipline, there are no caveats to it afterwards. It’s not that you’re the fastest time triallist, or the fastest cyclist in X discipline – in a flying 200m, you reach the highest peak speed possible on a track. It’s just cool if I do it to be able to call myself the fastest of all time.”

Richardson rode his effort on a custom painted Hope-Lotus HB.T bike, with a new seatpost, handlebars and cranks. He also used a new skinsuit.

The sprinter's record attempt came as part of a wider event organised by British Cycling. Earlier in the day, para-cyclist Will Bjergfelt broke the UCI Hour Record in the C5 classification, before Charlie Tanfield fell three kilometres short of Filippo Ganna’s elite men’s Hour Record.

Altitude training in Andorra, turbo sessions in 45°C heat, and a lifetime’s worth of revision have all gone into Charlie Tanfield’s latest bid to join cycling’s history books.

This Thursday, the 28-year-old will attempt to break the UCI Hour Record, a benchmark held by Eddy Merckx, Bradley Wiggins, and most recently Filippo Ganna, whose 56.792km, set in 2022, remains the distance to beat.

For Tanfield, holding the record, and joining the list of greats, is a career dream. “I’ve watched every single attempt in the modern era. I could tell you the way that they rode them, and the splits they were riding, too,” he says.

“A lot of things have changed over the years, but the thing that’s stayed the same is the idea that I would do it at some point. I’ve got the opportunity now, this year after the Olympics, to focus on it and give it my best shot.”

A former world and European champion in the team pursuit, and Olympic silver medallist, Tanfield will make his Hour Record attempt inside the velodrome in Konya, Turkey – at 1,200m altitude – as part of a special event organised by British Cycling.

It’s a goal of his that dates back to 2018, he explains over a video call, when he used to pore over the data needed to break Wiggins’s then benchmark with his housemate and team-mate at the time, Dan Bigham.

“Dan would have his spreadsheets and stuff. We’d put in the numbers and fantasise about how fast you could go over the hour. That sounds so sad,” Tanfield laughs, “but it did light a spark in me that it could be a thing I could do in the future.”

Bigham himself would go on to break the record in 2022, then an engineer at Ineos Grenadiers, creating a blueprint for Ganna’s attempt. The Brit's distance of 55.548km is still a national record.

Have the two friends spoken about Tanfield’s bid? “There’s been a bit of banter,” Tanfield says, but no advice or help; instead he has decided to carve his own path – “I quite like to learn things for myself. It’s quite important that I develop as a rider myself through this process.”

That process began shortly after the Olympics in Paris last August. Used to riding four-minute events, Tanfield began working on extending his threshold power, with his sights set on the Hour.

“My preparation has been a mixture of heat training and altitude, and not as many track sessions as you probably think,” he says.

Earlier this year, he went to Andorra, where he stayed in the apartment of British Cycling coach Cameron Meyer. “I was basically riding down the mountain, training on the turbo trainer, then riding back up the mountain, back up to 2,200m, where I was staying,” Tanfield says.

When he returned to the UK, he then trained inside a heat tent in his back garden. “When the sun’s out it’s pretty hot – it’s like 45 degrees in there,” he says.

“The heat is a massive part of dealing with it… [During the attempt] your core temp starts to get quite high by 40 minutes, 45 minutes, so that’s the make-or-break point at which you either fail or you manage it to the finish,” he adds.

As such, Tanfield will be setting out with a ‘negative split’ strategy, meaning he’ll start below record pace, and then speed up in the second half of his effort. “It doesn’t make sense to go out flatline, because you will just overheat,” he says. “As soon as your core temp gets up to like 38, 39 degrees, you’re losing 20 or so watts off your threshold. It really compromises you.”

When Ganna set his record in October 2022, he did so in Grenchen, Switzerland, on a specially developed, 3D-printed Pinarello Bolide F HR bike, fitted with custom components galore.

Tanfield’s set-up will be similar to the one he rode to team pursuit silver at the Paris Olympics – a Hope-Lotus HB.T bike – plus a new skinsuit.

“Currently it’s quite up in the air,” he says, asked about his target distance. “I’ve done a lot of training on slower kit, so it’s quite hard in your head [to know] what’s going to be race pace, the conditions in Konya – the air density is so much lower – it’s very hard to map that out.”

Still, now with less than 24 hours before he turns his first pedal strokes, Tanfield’s positive he’s in the form of his life.

“It’s a beast, it’s such a hard event that unless you are passionate about it, I really don’t think you would be willing to put yourself through the suffering and the preparation you have to do to actually get to the start line,” he says.

For him, that journey has been “a very rough road”.

“There have been a lot of times where I’ve thought, ‘What the hell am I doing? This is absolutely outrageous.’ It’s so difficult. I cannot describe how hard the mark has been set up. But as I’ve got closer and closer, I’ve got a little bit more confident. It’s exciting, just to see exactly how quick I can go.”

If Tanfield breaks the record, he’ll follow in a more than 30-year line of Brits to have done so, including Graeme Obree, Chris Boardman, Alex Dowsett, Wiggins, and his friend Bigham.

“It’s a really iconic event, and the history of the people who have done it over the years, they’re all, within their own right, legends of the sport,” Tanfield says. “They’re all the best riders of their generations, really, all the top guys. It would be cool to compare myself against those and give it my best shot.”

Tanfield will begin his UCI Hour Record effort at 10:15 UK time in a behind-closed-doors event in Konya, Turkey. There will be no live stream of the attempt.

During the same event, track sprinter Matthew Richardson will try and break the flying 200m world record, while para-cyclist Will Bjergfelt will attempt the UCI Hour Record in the C5 category.

The 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men crosses England and Wales from east to west. Read our full route guide here, along with the complete start list.

The 11 stage starts and finishes are from Woodbridge in East Suffolk to Cardiff in Wales six days later, via Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire, but fans can now find out if the race will be coming right past their front door.

The UCI 2.Pro race is 886km long in total, from Tuesday 2 to Sunday 7 September, and will be raced by 19 teams, including nine WorldTour squads. Among them will be UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Visma-Lease a Bike, Soudal Quick-Step and Ineos Grenadiers.

Stage one, between Woodbridge and Southwold in Suffolk, will be 161.4km long and pass through Grundisburgh, Wickham Market, Rendlesham, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, Thorpeness, Saxmundham, Framlingham, Halesworth, where there will be an intermediate sprint, then Bungay, Beccles, Wrentham and Reydon.

The next day will see stage two starting and finishing in Stowmarket. Over 169.3km, the peloton will race through Debenham, Bedfield, Stradbroke for an intermediate sprint, Eye, Thurston, Felsham, Babergh, Lavenham, and Sudbury before finishing back in Stowmarket after a classified climb just after Hadleigh, Semer Hill.

The race will then leave Suffolk for stage three, a 122.8km day between Milton Keynes and Ampthill. On the way, Woburn, Toddington, Barton-le-Clay, and Shefford, Northill and Old Warden will all be visited, including a double loop around Northill and Old Warden, with the day's intermediate sprint at the former. There is also a classified climb at Hillfoot near Old Warden, 700m at 5.2%.

Stage four, the longest stage of the race, takes place between Atherstone and Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. The 186.9km-long stage has six classified climbs, the most of any day.

The route passes through Ansley, Shustoke, and Fillongley, Bedworth, Bulkington, Brinklow, Rugby, Dunchurch, Cubbington for an intermediate sprint, Wellesbourne, Compton Verney, Kineton, Shipston-on-Stour, Upper Brailes, before Burton Dassett Hills is reached.

Sun Rising Hill after Upper Brailes is 10% over 900m, before the climb at the country park is 1.4km at 5.7%. Mathieu van der Poel won there the last time the Tour of Britain came here.

After four stages in England, stage five begins in Pontypool Park in Torfaen, for 133.5km of action with 2,330m of climbing.

The peloton will pass through Usk, Chepstow, Monmouth, Abergavenny, then The Tumble for the first time – 4.9km at 8% – before a descent into Blaenavon and then Pontypool. Usk is then passed through again, before a second time up The Tumble.

After five stages of action, the final day will begin in Newport at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales ahead of a 112.2km test. From Newport, riders will race through Risca, Crosskeys, Wattsville, Blaenau Gwent, Ebbw Vale, Tredegar, the Sirhowy Valley, the Rhymney Valley, Bargoed, Nelson, Ystrad Mynach and Caerphilly. The race will then head south to Cardiff after Caerphilly Mountain is tackled (1.4km at 9.7%), where it will finish on North Road alongside Bute Park.

"We have worked hard with our stakeholders across all six stages to create this great route that will build to a real climax as we reach Wales, with the racing for the green jersey sure to go all the way down to the finish line on North Road in Cardiff," Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, said.

All stages will begin between 11am and 12pm, and are expected to finish between 2:40pm and 3:30pm.

The Tour of Britain Women will be five stages next year after the UCI agreed to a request from British Cycling to increase the length of the event.

The move comes as part of an increased effort to reach full parity with the men's equivalent after the national governing body took control of the two races, formerly managed by SweetSpot, early last year.

British Cycling confirmed the change when contacted by Cycling Weekly on Wednesday after it was previously announced that the women's race would move to an August slot on the calendar, bringing it closer to the men's event, which typically takes place in September.

"Bringing the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women up to five stages for 2026 is yet another step in creating parity between the men's and women's races - something which is fundamental to our major events vision," a British Cycling spokesperson said.

"When we took on the running of both races last year, we outlined our plans and were true to this commitment, therefore it was a no-brainer to increase prize money for the women’s race, as a first step.

"Following the hugely successful delivery of the 2025 edition of the race, we are really pleased to see our ambitious plans reflected in an increase to five stages from 2026, supported by the UCI, and we look forward to continuing to champion full parity throughout the Lloyd’s Tour of Britain races."

The men's race was cut to six stages in 2024 as a first step to reaching full parity, with British Cycling aiming to increase the women’s race to six in the coming years. FDJ-Suez's Ally Wollaston took the overall honours at the most recent edition of the women’s race, which concluded in Glasgow last month. Britain's Cat Ferguson finished second.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly last month, British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton was cautiously optimistic regarding the long-term future of the two Tours.

"We were really determined to deliver last year and grow the race and I think if you look at the Tour of Britain Women – just take the riders and the teams last year compared to the riders and the teams this year – it shows that people value racing in the UK," he said. "We need to be mindful of the business model – staging any bike race on the public highway is an expensive affair – but we're optimistic."

"Policing, safety, the public sector finances, people wanting to step forward as event organisers – it's really hard,” Dutton added. "At British Cycling we have a duty and responsibility to be part of the solution, but there is no magic wand to wave.

"What we will find is moving to a sustainable business model, we'll probably have to have some more tough conversations in the future… We've not got enough events with enough event organisers that are sustainable and that's just part of the overall challenge."

Cycling Weekly understands that details of this year's Tour of Britain Men will be released shortly. The race is expected to conclude in Cardiff to pay tribute to Geraint Thomas in what is set to be his final professional race before retirement.

The 2025 British National Championships begin on Thursday with a high-intensity time trial in Aberaeron, with the road race to follow on Sunday 29th June.

Ceredigion, the Welsh county set to host the Championships tomorrow, has a track-record of producing world class riders, including time-triallist Josh Tarling and Tour of Britain winner Stevie Williams. Now some of the best British riders will line up in the county to compete for eight national titles on offer.

Among those heading to Wales this weekend is three time British National Road Race Champion, Picnic PostNL rider Pfeiffer Georgi, who will be chasing a fourth title, with Anna Henderson of Lidl-Trek pushing for the top position after second place last year in Yorkshire.

“Nationals hold such a special meaning to me,” Pfeiffer said.

I know it won’t be easy, but I’m focused, motivated, and ready to give it everything I’ve got. The level of competition in British women’s road racing just keeps getting stronger, and that pushes me to raise my game every time I take to the start line.”

Another young rider set to cause her some fierce competition is Tour of Britain stage winner, Cat Ferguson. The Movistar rider scored her first WorldTour victory last month at the Tour of Britain, along with the points classification and jersey for best young rider.

In the men's race, Ethan Hayter is the rider to watch as he defends his 2024 national title. After recent success on the continent (including second place in the Baloise Belgium Tour overall), the Soudal Quick-Step rider will be chasing another win this year on home soil - in both the time trial, of which he is a previous champion, and the road race.

Vying to pip him to the post in the road race will be 2024 podium finishers Lewis Askey and Max Walker. Askey, who rides for Groupama-FDJ, has recently won his first two professional races, so clearly is a man in form.

The time trials take place in Abaeraeron, a place-name that supposedly, perhaps fittingly, derives from Aeron, the Welsh god of war. Riders will battle it out over a course that will take them over the hills to Cilau Aeron before a sharp, 3km-long ascent up Rhiw Goch and back into Aberaeron. Ferguson, Georgi and two-time champion Henderson are among the race favourites, with Hayter the favourite in the men’s after double British champion Josh Tarling crashed out of the Giro d’Italia.

The road race is a hillier affair, beginning by the sea in Aberystwyth and winding inland to Trawsgoed in a loop to be repeated three times in the women’s and five in the men’s, with each loop starting with a maximum gradient of 9.3%. The women will race a totalled distance of 128km (with an elevation gain of 1,839m) with the men’s an additional 60km.

Off the back of an impressive Tour of Britain, Ferguson looks in a stronger position to Georgi so far this season, but the latter has the experience. A battle anticipated in the men’s between Visma-Lease a Bike teammates Matthew Brennan and Ben Tulett, with Hayter surely involved too.

You can watch the British National Championships on the British Cycling Youtube channel,Discovery+ online and TNT Sports, plus a full highlights programme on Discovery+ and TNT Sports 2 at 7pm on Tuesday 1 July.

The Junior Tour of Wales, Britain's biggest junior men’s cycling race, has been axed from the domestic calendar by Beicio Cymru [Welsh Cycling] and replaced with the Ras Ieuenctid De Cymru.

No information was shared publicly within the wider domestic scene, including with Britain's junior teams, regarding the decision to cancel the event, with the Ras Ieuenctid De Cymru quietly added to the British Cycling online events calendar, along with GPS files of each of the planned stages.

When contacted by Cycling Weekly, Beicio Cymru said the new race was an "interim" measure while a "steering committee" assesses the long term future of the Junior Tour.

Since its inception in 1981, the Junior Tour quickly became the most prestigious junior race on British soil, attracting the best up and coming talent in the UK each year, as well as major elite development squads from across Europe - the list of winners includes Dan Martin, Hugh Carthy, Fred Wright, Tom Pidcock, Ben Tulett and Lewis Askey, all riders who have gone on to have careers in the WorldTour.

"The Junior Tour was founded on hard, varied stages that provided a real test at the end of the season, and the challenging parcours made it the only British junior race that professional teams have known and paid attention to in recent years," Ian Mansel-Thomas, Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco team principal, said.

"While we wish its replacement every success, we can't help but notice that its stage lengths and routes likely mean it won't be the selective, tough race the Junior Tour of Wales was. Success at the JTOW often helped riders forge professional careers and, sadly, in its current form, the Ras Ieuenctid seems unlikely to do the same."

Another 'nail in the coffin' of British road racing

Giles Pidcock, manager and director of the Fensham Howes-MAS Design-Cams junior squad, described the situation as a "devastating blow" to the sport’s "fragile" ecosystem at youth and junior level.

"Part of the reason why we've got 34 WorldTour pros at the moment is because of all the work that was done since the London Olympics in developing youth and junior racing," Pidcock said.

"At the top of that pile is the Junior Tour of Wales, it's the one event that all these kids aspire to ride because it's on challenging terrain, it's place to place, it’s got proper long climbs in it and without it is another nail in the coffin of British road racing on British soil. As a cycling community, we all need to put our shoulders to the wheel and do everything possible to get the Junior Tour back on the calendar."

In 2024, the race was forced into a last minute course alteration due to a handful of 20mph zones featuring in the 381 kilometre route. Despite the initial course containing just eleven kilometres of 20mph zones, organiser Richard Hopkins was forced into action after the collapse of a planned legal mitigation meant there was no other alternative.

Beicio Cymru would not comment on Monday regarding the makeup of their "steering committee" who will now manage the event, although it is understood that Hopkins is not part of it. When contacted, Hopkins told CW that it was essential the race's "uniqueness" was preserved moving forward.

He said: "The Junior Tour was built, evolved and has become internationally recognised, as an event designed to test the very best juniors - from all over the world, to their absolute limits to help the riders discover who they are, to introduce them to the styles of racing and tactics they will need to reach the very top of the sport, and to act as the recruitment tool their next teams will need to identify those with the deepest talent.

"The geography and even the order the stages take place in, are very deliberately planned. It is - or should be - part of an ecosystem that builds riders from youth level to junior - and then gives the very best of them the momentum to build a career as a bike rider."

'Regrettable' decision

In a statement on Monday evening, Beicio Cymru CEO Caroline Spanton said: "Despite our best efforts to provide ongoing support, engagement and clear communication, it’s regrettable that the Junior Tour of Wales will not be taking place as it has done previously.

"We greatly appreciate the dedication and hard work that has gone into the Junior Tour of Wales over many years, and we recognise its significance within the UK’s junior racing calendar. However, it is crucial that the highest standards of safety, organisation, and athlete welfare are prioritised to safeguard the event’s future.

"In a year where the absence of the Junior Tour could have left a major gap, Beicio Cymru is ensuring that a junior road race still takes place. Ras Ieuenctid De Cymru – Junior Race of South Wales is being delivered as an interim event, giving junior athletes continued access to high-quality racing opportunities while maintaining momentum for the discipline in Wales.

"The interim event is being developed by a small steering group of experienced road race organisers and volunteers, working in close collaboration with Beicio Cymru and British Cycling. This group includes some of the Welsh road racing community's current event organisers – all of whom are committed to ensuring a high-quality event takes place in 2025, while we work towards the long-term sustainability and return of the Junior Tour of Wales in 2026 and beyond."

British Cycling, the national governing body for the sport in Britain, has a "real problem" with the LGBTQ+ spectrum, despite the organisation's suggestions otherwise, according to Philippa York.

York, formerly known as Robert Millar, was a winner of the King of the Mountains jersey at the Tour de France, a stage winner in all three of cycling's Grand Tours, a British national champion, and Tour of Britain winner. After retiring, York briefly worked as a coach at British Cycling before stepping away from the sport, later transitioning.

York is now a respected member of the cycling media, an author and trans advocate. She has collaborated on a new book, titled The Escape, with the journalist David Walsh which lays out her own transition process and the impact that had on her mental health.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, published at the weekend, she says there is still huge amounts of work to be done to support trans athletes in sport, stating that she thinks "while it is more understood", it is not "more accepted."

York explained that she had previously received an invite to be part of British Cycling's advisory group on diversity and inclusion, although she soon ended her relationship with the national federation over the handling of the controversy related to trans athlete Emily Bridges, who was effectively banned from competing by British Cycling when rules barring trans women from female events were brought into effect in May 2023.

Trans women are now only able to compete in the "open" category alongside male athletes under British Cycling's legislation. Before she came out publicly as a trans woman, Bridges was on British Cycling's male senior academy program in 2019

"There was a potential for Emily to be part of the track team but suddenly it all stopped," York told The Guardian. "She was high performing, but it wasn't domination. She was 10 or 12 seconds off the world record, but it might have been enough to get on the squad."

York went on to say that she feels British Cycling "has a real problem with the whole LGBTQ+ spectrum. They say they don’t, but they do." She also claimed that: "They have had people, employees, who have signed a letter to the UCI, demanding that trans women be excluded … In any other organisation, those people would be fired."

In response to York's claims, a British Cycling spokesperson said: "We strongly believe that cycling is for everyone and are committed to welcoming as many people as possible into our sport, whether that's for fun, leisure, competition or simply getting from A to B.

"Our competition policies – in line with most other sports - intend to safeguard the fairness of competitive cycling, whilst ensuring all riders have opportunities to participate in the sport they love. Anyone can compete in our 'Open' category, including transgender women, transgender men and non-binary individuals.

"British Cycling takes allegations of homophobic and transphobic behaviour extremely seriously and has a zero-tolerance approach. We are proactively working to ensure that cycling is as accessible and welcoming as possible, particularly amongst underrepresented communities."

At the time of their new policies being introduced, British Cycling said that trans athletes were able to ride events in the "open" category in the UK, although Bridges insisted in an interview last year that this is in effect a ban.

"A ban is a ban. You can say you can compete in the open category, but we're women - we should be able to race in the women's category," she said.

Just over a year ago, British Cycling announced that it was going to rescue both the men’s and women’s Tours of Britain after the previous race organiser, SweetSpot, went into liquidation. Now, the national governing body is looking to the long term, and hoping to develop a suite of racing events.

“We were really determined to deliver last year and grow the race and I think if you look at the Tour of Britain Women – just take the riders and the teams last year compared to the riders and the teams this year – it shows that people value racing in the UK,” British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton told Cycling Weekly at the 2025 race.

“We need to be mindful of the business model – staging any bike race on the public highway is an expensive affair – but we're optimistic.”

It’s a tough environment for road race organisers in the UK, with costs higher than ever and fewer local councils with an appetite to host events. Dutton explained that the headwinds are strong for domestic road racing, but hopes the rising profile of both Tours of Britain can support the rest of the scene.

“Policing, safety, the public sector finances, people wanting to step forward as event organisers – it's really hard,” Dutton said.

“At British Cycling we have a duty and responsibility to be part of the solution, but there is no magic wand to wave… What we will find is moving to a sustainable business model, we'll probably have to have some more tough conversations in the future… We've not got enough events with enough event organisers that are sustainable and that's just part of the overall challenge.”

British Cycling are planning to add to the number of stages of the women’s race, which is currently four days long, and see the Tours of Britain as central to their plans to develop a larger portfolio of British Cycling-run events across several disciplines.

Dutton shared a vision to see British Cycling organise high profile events in track cycling, BMX freestyle and cyclo-cross, suggesting that the governing body will look to bring a round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup back to British soil for the first time since 2014.

All of this, as British Cycling set out in a new strategy in March, is with a view to increase cycling participation in the UK. The race route around Glasgow was closed for a further three hours after the end of the Tour of Britain Women, allowing riders of all ages and abilities to ride around the city on traffic-free roads. This kind of initiative, Dutton says, will go hand-in-hand with British Cycling events going forward.

“Our research shows that 27 million people in the UK got on a bike in the last 12 months," he said. "That's the future for us, it's to fuse together elite events, creating visibility and enabling us to do more things – to get people on the bike and give them great experiences.”

British Paralympian Sam Ruddock has been found alive after being reported as a missing person in Las Vegas, USA.

The 35-year-old had not been heard from in 11 days, after travelling to the U.S. to attend a wrestling event.

A statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department read: "A missing person report was filed on April 24, 2025. Through the course of the investigation, the individual has been located safe."

Ruddock's friend, Lucy Hatton, who helped lead the urgent search for the paracyclist, also confirmed that he is "alive and well" and "currently being taken care of."

Addressing her Instagram followers, Hatton said: "I need to obviously get more status updates, but I don't care – let's get that boy home. Thank you so much to everybody in the messages."

Ruddock was last heard from on 16 April, prior to his disappearance. He had travelled alone to the Las Vegas, where he had hoped to spectate at Wrestlemania on 19-20 April.

His last known location was the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop from the TV show 'Pawn Stars'.

"Sam stayed one night at the Bungalow Hostel Hotel but did not check out and did not return to collect his belongings. Since then, there has been no communication or confirmed sightings," Hatton previously told Cycling Weekly in a statement.

Speaking to the BBC, Hatton said Ruddock's disappearance was "really, really out of character", but that recently he had not been in "the right head space".

The 35-year-old was reported missing last Thursday, with US and UK police forces notified, as well as the international organisation Interpol. A four-day investigation has now finished in his safe location.

Born in Rugby, Warwickshire, Ruddock has spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that primarily affects the legs, and impacts balance and coordination.

He competed as a runner at the London 2012 Paralympics, and switched to shot put afterwards, participating in the track-and-field event at the 2016 Games in Rio, Brazil.

Ruddock joined the British national cycling squad in 2019. He went on to win two world titles in the kilometre time trial, in 2022 and 2023, competing in the C1 category.

18 teams are set to participate in the second edition of the Tour of Britain Women in June, with 12 Women's WorldTour squads set to headline the start list, British Cycling announced on Thursday afternoon.

According to a release from the national governing body, 108 riders will take part in what is set to be the largest field in the event’s history. SD Worx-Protime - the team of last year’s winner, Lotte Kopecky - are one of the 12 WorldTour teams set to race, along with FDJ-Suez and a host of other major teams.

As well as SD Worx and FDJ-Suez, the other teams from the top level of women’s professional cycling on the startlist are AG Insurance-Soudal, Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, Ceratizit, Lidl-Trek, Movistar, Picnic PostNL, Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team ADQ and Uno-X Mobility. All five of the British registered UCI Continental teams - Smurfit Westrock, Hess Cycling, Das Hutchinson, Handsling Alba Development and CJ O'Shea Racing are set to compete, along with EF Education-Oatly, and a Great Britain squad.

After racing in the last two editions of the race, UAE Team ADQ's Elynor Bäckstedt said she would relish the opportunity to race in front of the British crowds once more: "The UK crowds are incredible, seeing all the kids come out from schools to watch are so special.

"For us as a team it’ll be super important, the course is varied so there is an opportunity for everyone and it will be a great race for us to do and showcase to the world what the UK has to offer."

Taking place between 5 and 8 June, the race will take place in northern England and Scotland, with the southernmost point on the course being North Yorkshire. The final stage will be held in Glasgow on a city centre circuit.

"We are delighted to be bringing some of the world’s best teams and riders to our communities this June as a part of the UCI Women's WorldTour and to showcase the very best of their character and terrain on what will be four challenging stages," Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, previously said.

"On behalf of British Cycling Events I would like to pay thanks to our partners across the four stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this summer's race and enabling us to bring another memorable and action packed four days of world class racing to their communities."

British Cycling has announced that Glasgow will host the final stage of the Tour of Britain Women in June, with Dalby Forest, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Scottish Borders and Tees Valley all set to host the race at various points.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the national governing body confirmed that Glasgow would make its debut as a host venue for the Women’s WorldTour event with the final stage taking place on a city centre circuit in a similar style to the elite road races at the Glasgow World Championships in 2023.

Taking place between 5 and 8 June, the race will take place solely in northern England and Scotland, with the southernmost point on the course being North Yorkshire. As well as Glasgow, the rest of the host venues will be making their first appearances as part of the women’s race.

The opening stage will take place between Dalby Forest and Redcar, before Hartlepool and Saltburn-by-Sea host stage two. The third stage is then set to take place in the Scottish Borders in Kelso, with the race then concluding in Glasgow. The Redcar and Saltburn area has regularly played host to the British national road championships, with Pfeiffer Georgi winning two successive national road titles on the slopes of Saltburn Bank.

Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, said the route announcement was a sign of British Cycling "breaking new ground" with the race and that the event would aid them in their mission of "spreading the joy of cycling" along the route.

"Being able to finish the race overall in the heart of a major city like Glasgow will be a great way to round out this year’s Tour," he said. "We are delighted to be bringing some of the world’s best teams and riders to our communities this June as a part of the UCI Women's WorldTour and to showcase the very best of their character and terrain on what will be four challenging stages.

"On behalf of British Cycling Events I would like to pay thanks to our partners across the four stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this summer's race and enabling us to bring another memorable and action packed four days of world class racing to their communities."

Last year, Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx-Protime took victory after four stages in north Wales and Manchester, with the Belgian world champion winning two stages en-route to the overall win. Her teammate Lorena Wiebes also won a stage, with Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) taking the final day.

The full list of teams and riders is expected over the next month.