Colchester will host the opening stage of the Women’s Tour, one of the biggest all-female cycle races in the world, in 2022.

More details of the award-winning, free-to-watch sporting event have been announced today to mark International Women’s Day.

Building on the success of last year’s stage start from Colchester Sports Park at Northern Gateway, the Grand Départ of the Women’s Tour’s eighth edition will get underway from the same location on Monday 6 June, which follows the four-day Bank Holiday weekend in the UK to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

The opening leg of the race will head into Colchester town centre and through the wider borough before crossing into Suffolk, with the finish of the stage planned for Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds.

The Colchester Sports Park at Northern Gateway held the start of stage five of the 2021 Women’s Tour last October, attracting more than 5,000 spectators and contributing a net economic impact on the local economy of £130,000.

Details of the route of the opening stage from Colchester to Bury St Edmunds will follow in due course.

Video: Highlights of the Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea stage in the 2021 Women’s Tour
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Councillor Paul Dundas, Colchester Borough Council leader said: “It’s fantastic news that Colchester is to host the Grand Départ for this global sporting event which comes to our borough for a second year. We look forward to welcoming residents and visitors to the town to cheer on the riders and hopefully be inspired to get cycling for themselves. In 2021, nearly 50,000 spectators from outside Suffolk and Essex came to our region to enjoy the Women’s Tour and we look forward to showcasing this international competition once again to attract even more visitors to the region.”

Sam Good, Our Colchester Business Improvement District manager, said: “It was a real coup for Colchester to host the Women’s Tour in 2021, a year that saw its fair share of challenges for the business community.  The buzz that was created both locally and nationally, had a really positive impact on Colchester as a whole and we look forward to its very welcome return this summer. Events like this, which bring people and businesses together, help instil a feeling of pride in the town and showcase to residents, visitors, and workers the many exciting things happening in Colchester.”

Tunde Williams, Colchester Sports Park manager, said: “The Women’s Tour gave us a perfect opportunity to showcase Colchester Sports Park’s newly-opened, one-mile cycle track. To see this first-class cycling facility being used by the world’s most elite riders was a real honour and, judging by the increased interest for the cycle track, pump track, learn to ride facility and courses, it has been an inspiration to many budding cyclists across the borough. We look forward to building on this success this year.”

Mick Bennett, Women’s Tour race director, said: “We’re thrilled that Colchester will feature in this year’s opening stage, which, given the country-wide weekend of celebrations planned, will be the grandest Grand Départ we’ve ever had. We’re excited to showcase the incredible Colchester Sports Park at Northern Gateway to a worldwide audience once again It’s a great location for people to come out and see the world’s top riders up close on day one of the race.”

About the 2022 Women’s Tour

This year’s Women’s Tour will also include a return to Carmarthenshire for the toughest summit finish in race history to date, taking place on Black Mountain near Llangadog on stage five. Organisers expect all 17 teams with mandatory UCI Women’s WorldTour event invitations to be on the start line in Colchester, including the 14 UCI Women’s WorldTour teams.  The final line up of teams for the race to be announced in the coming weeks.

With cycling enjoying a boom in the UK, and hundreds of thousands of new and returning cyclists taking to two wheels, there are a range of sponsorship opportunities available with the Women’s Tour in 2022.

Packages range from title partnerships of the event and sponsorship of the prestigious points and sprints jerseys, to being the brand forever known for funding the race’s first-ever live TV broadcast. Visit sweetspotgroup.co.uk/partnerships for more.