Dalby Forest to Host Start of Tour of Britain Women

The first stage of this year's Lloyds Tour of Britain Women begins from Dalby Forest on Thursday.

The UK’s biggest professional women’s race and part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour series of races will get underway at 11.30 on Thursday morning next to Forestry England Dalby's visitor centre.

Ahead of the start there will be the opportunity to meet riders from the 19 participating teams, including the likes of Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) in what will be her final Lloyds Tour of Britain, European champion Lorena Wiebes, and double Olympic gold medallist Kristen Faulkner, and to see each of the teams presented to the crowd, from 10:30.

Looking ahead to the event, Andy Widdowson, Head of Recreation and Visitor Experience at Forestry England, said:

“We are anticipating a fantastic atmosphere at the race start in Dalby Forest on Thursday 5 June. We ask visitors to plan their journeys in advance and arrive with plenty of time to send the teams and riders on their way across the North York Moors National Park.”

Fans coming to the Dalby Forest start are encouraged to make use of the free cycle parking and e-bike charging stations, by riding to the stage from Pickering and Thornton Le Dale via Ellerburn on the Moor to Sea cycle trail, or from Scarborough on the same trail.

The visitor centre car park will be reserved throughout the morning for teams and event vehicles only, and access to the forest from Thornton-le-Dale will be limited between 11:00 and 12:00 for the departure of the race. For access from Thornton-le-Dale prior to the race starting, there will be a 7-mile diversion to the visitor centre via Adderstone Field.

The Dalby Forest Drive will remain accessible from Scarborough via Bickley throughout the day, with spectators coming by car able to park in the Seivedale overflow car park, a short walk from the visitor centre and start area.

The race will exit Dalby Forest via the Forest Drive through Low Dalby to the A169, with a rolling road closure in place. The race is due to pass through the centre of Pickering (11:55), and then through Aislaby (12:00) on the A170 to Keldholme, where the race turns for Hutton-le-Hole (12:15) before the first Queen of the Mountains climb of the 2025 race, the 6.4-kilometre climb of Blakey Ridge.

The race then continues across the North York Moors National Park via Castleton (12:45) and Commondale (12:55), before racing through Great Ayton (13:10), past Forestry England Guisborough (13:20), and through Guisborough (13:25), before the finish on the Coast Road in Redcar, at around 13:50.

Speaking about the stage, Team Picnic PostNL rider Abi Smith, who is from North Yorkshire, said,

“I cannot tell you how excited I am that the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is coming to the North York Moors National Park. This area is so special to me – these are the roads that I have grown up riding and training on, so I know them like the back of my hand.

“I am really pleased that we can showcase some of our beautiful scenery up here; it is very remote, but the views are stunning. These roads are hard riding, so despite a flat finish this terrain could make for an interesting race on day one. And I am sure, as always, all our Yorkshire folk will be out in full force to support us riders on the roadside!”

Tom Hind, CEO of the North York Moors National Park, added;

“We’re really excited to see Britain’s most prestigious women’s cycling race come to the North York Moors, starting in Dalby Forest, racing through the National Park and finishing in Redcar in the Tees Valley. On 5 June, professional athletes with showcase their talent and the incredible landscape that we work to protect which will be shared with the nation.”

Commenting on the stage, Jonathan Day, Managing Director of race organisers British Cycling Events, said;

“Excitement is really building now for this year’s Lloyds Tour of Britain Women and the start of the race. We have a fantastic line-up of teams and riders who will be racing through communities across our four stages from Thursday 5 June, and want to give them the best possible send off from Dalby Forest and through the North York Moors National Park.”

The Lloyds Tour of Britain is the largest free-to-attend sporting spectacle in the UK and is delivered under the mantel of two races, one Tour of Britain.  The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women takes place annually in June, as part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, making it one of the most prestigious events in the sport’s global calendar.

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women features the world’s top teams and riders, attracting tens of thousands of fans to the roadside, with live broadcast coverage of the race around the world.