Tour of Britain Men and Women dates confirmed for 2026, both to be five-stage races

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.