British Cycling
Stage routes go live for the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men
—- The riders lining up for this year’s 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will be in for a challenging contest, taking in nearly 900km with 8814 metres of ascent across the five stages of this year’s race.
The world’s best riders will face 910.3 (565 miles) of racing across the stages which start in Lincolnshire, before moving up the coast to East Yorkshire, then into North Yorkshire, before heading to the Scottish Borders for its conclusion.
The challenging route will take in some iconic locations from the famous Michaelgate in Lincoln, seaside towns on the East coast, to the cities of Hull and Ripon before heading into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, and then onto intriguing sections in the Lammermuir Hills of the Scottish Borders ahead of an overall race finish in Earlston.
Director of Events for British Cycling Ventures, Jonathan Day, said:
“It is always exciting to reveal the stage routes for the Lloyds Tour of Britain, it’s the news fans have been waiting for, so they can plan the best positions to watch the world’s best riders in the UK. We have worked closely with all our stakeholders to design a fantastic route that will ignite the race and create a memorable spectacle for all involved.
“The Tours are one of the largest free to spectate events in Britain, so we are thrilled to be bringing the men’s route from Lincolnshire, through East and North Yorkshire, all the way to Earlston in the Scottish Borders. 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.”
Stage One – Lincoln-Lincoln – Wednesday 2 September 2026
Lincoln will host a start and finish of the Lloyds Tour of Britain on Wednesday 2 September, bringing Britain’s biggest professional men’s cycle race to the city for the first time.
With 187.6km, riders head out into the Lincolnshire Wolds as they exit the city of Lincoln, making their way through Market Rasen before hitting the routes most northernmost point, heading through the town of Caistor in the West Lindsey District. The route makes its way past Waddingham, before turning west towards Ingham before heading back towards Lincoln.
The riders will then tackle the prestigious 11.3% average gradient climb of Michaelgate five times on a final circuit in the city centre after nearly 120km of racing, taking in the renowned Lincoln Grand Prix circuit, a cornerstone of the Lloyds National Road Series.
Stage Two – Boston-Skegness – Thursday 3 September 2026
On Thursday 3 September, the riders will face a fast stage between Boston and Skegness taking in 185.2km. From the start in Boston, the peloton will ride past Coningsby – the home of the Dambusters during World War Two, who were based at RAF Coningsby, which now plays host to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
The riders then head through Woodhall Spa, Horncastle and Wragby, before heading east into the Lincolnshire Wolds, intersecting with the stage one course at Binbrook.
Heading down to Louth, before heading on to the coastal towns of Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea, the race hits one last ascent near Langton Hill, before it drops down for a ferocious sprint into Skegness to decide the day two winner.
Stage Three – Hull-Beverley – Friday 4 September 2026
Departing from Hull on Friday 4 September, the riders will face a 200.6km stage as they head out to the stunning east coast, through Withernsea, up to Hornsea, and onto Skipsea.
As the race heads to Burton Agnes, a series of climbs face the riders as they head around to Driffield before heading downhill into Wetwang as the race gears up for an exciting climax. Once they reach Beverley, the riders will face a 16km circuit with four passages finishing with a testing uphill drag to the racecourse for its conclusion.
Stage Four – Helmsley-Leyburn – Saturday 5 September 2026
North Yorkshire is renowned for its challenging routes and passionate fans, with stage four expected to be a pivotal moment in deciding the 2026 General Classification winner as the riders take on the 170.5km with 2459m of ascent for the hardest stage of the 2026 Tour.
Starting in the market town of Helmsley in the North York Moors National Park, the race will head through Easingwold, Boroughbridge, and the cathedral city of Ripon before entering the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
A challenging climb out of Greenhow Bank out of Pateley Bridge (4km at 7,2% average gradient), paves the way for the peloton head to Grassington, before it weaves its way up Wharfedale towards Buckden and Cray.
Taking in the spectacular scenery, the riders climb Kidstones (2.9km at 6.3% average gradient), whose maximum 12.6% gradients featured in both the 2014 Tour de France opening stage and the men’s road race at the 2019 UCI cycling world championships, before heading to the iconic Aysgarth Falls. The stage then tackles the climbs of Greets Moss (4.4km at 6.9% average gradient) and Grinton Moor (4.4km at 5.3% average gradient) in quick succession, before the race reaches a thrilling conclusion in Leyburn which is hosting a finish to the Lloyds Tour of Britain for the first time, on what is sure to be a memorable day’s racing.
Stage Five – Earlston-Earlston – Sunday 6 September 2026
Earlston will host the start-finish to a Lloyds Tour of Britain stage for the first time, and the route will take in Scottish Borders locations that have been synonymous with the Tour in previous years.
Departing towards Smailholm, the last stage heads towards Kelso, turning off just before the town to take in Hume, Greenlaw and Duns. A challenging sector then faces the riders in the Lammermuir Hills, passing Whiteadder Water before a climb to Redstone Rig and Duddy Bank.
Once the race heads back towards Earlston, the riders have two circuits of a 19km lap before the race concludes and the next Lloyds Tour of Britain men’s champion is crowned.
To discover the routes of all five stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men in more detail, and more information about the race and host venues, please click here.
The routes for the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will follow soon.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men
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 Men is part of the UCI ProSeries, making it one of the most prestigious sporting events in the sport’s global calendar.
Follow the Lloyds Tour of Britain on X (Twitter), BlueSky, Facebook and Instagram
For further media information about the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women and Men, please contact:
- Gareth Burrell | garethburrell@britishcycling.org.uk
About British Cycling
British Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling in Great Britain. We govern and develop the sport from grassroots participation through to supporting the riders representing Great Britain on the international stage.
Our purpose is to bring the joy of cycling to everyone, and we’re fulfilling this by building on the elite success of the Great Britain Cycling Team and enabling more people to discover the joy of riding a bike.
We are proud to represent a community of members, 2,000 affiliated clubs, and the 27 million people who ride a bike nationwide – whether riding for fun, racing competitively, or simply getting from A to B. We exist to support and represent anyone who participates or wants to participate in our activities.
For more information, visit www.britishcycling.org.uk.
| Gareth BurrellCommunications and PR Manager |
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