Tour of Britain Women to be broadcast live and free on BBC

Fans will be able to watch the Tour of Britain Women live and free on the BBC, it was announced on Thursday, in a boon for those without subscriptions in the UK.

The premier British women's race, a WorldTour event, will be part of the BBC's Women's Summer of Sport, alongside other big events.

The Tour of Britain Women joins the Women's Euros, Women's Rugby World Cup and the World Athletics Championships live across the BBC alongside Wimbledon, The Hundred cricket tournament and the tennis at Queen's.

The British Cycling-organised four-day event will be live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, with content also across the BBC Sport social media channels.

It will also be shown on TNT Sports and on Discovery+, but behind a paywall, unlike the BBC action, which will be free to all with a TV licence.

"We are really pleased that the BBC will broadcast the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women during a huge summer of sport for women," Jonathan Day, the managing director of British Cycling Events, said in a press release. "The event is breaking records this year with the number of teams riding across the four stages, so it is brilliant news that the races will be available across BBC Sport’s platforms, allowing the British public to follow the action from this sporting spectacle."

"The Tour of Britain Women will be another great moment for women’s sport this summer and we’re delighted to bring this event to fans across the UK through our popular digital platforms," the director of BBC Sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, said.

"The BBC has a strong track record of backing women’s sport," he continued. "Not just the victories, but the stories, the grit and the passion behind them. And as the UK’s most-used sports broadcaster, we’re proud to shine a spotlight on this race and its great cyclists."

British Cycling also announced that there will be a new, dedicated Tour of Britain TikTok channel, with other content available for free on the race's YouTube channel.

The race begins next Thursday, 5 June, in North Yorkshire, with three stages in the north of England and Scotland.

Riders set to take the start list include Lorena Wiebes, Elisa Balsamo, and Cat Ferguson. There will be 12 Women's WorldTour teams present.