The Women’s Tour 2024 Grand Départ will be hosted by Wales as part of a new long-term agreement organisers SweetSpot have today unveiled with the Welsh Government.

This agreement, which began with this year’s Women’s Tour stage between Wrexham and Welshpool in June, will secure future visits of both this race and the Tour of Britain to the country over the next four years.

After hosting the final stage of the Tour of Britain 2023, the agreement will see Wales welcome the Women’s Tour Grand Départ for the first time ever in 2024.

The Tour of Britain 2025 will start in Wales for the first time since 2018, before the Women’s Tour 2026 culminates in the country.

Next year’s Tour of Britain stage will be the 16th of the modern race that will have taken place in Wales since its return to the calendar in 2004. A further five stages of the Women’s Tour have also been hosted by Welsh regions since the race’s inaugural 2014 edition.

In that time the two events have visited 18 of the 22 local authority regions in the country and generated an economic impact to the Welsh economy running into tens of millions of pounds, according to independent reports by the Frontline agency.

Additionally, the tours have covered almost 3,000 kilometres of racing in Wales, visiting the cities of Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, and Wrexham, as well as racing through both the Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons National Parks.

Stages of both the Women’s Tour and men’s Tour of Britain have also showcased projects such as the revamped Carmarthenshire velodrome and the national closed road cycle circuit at Pembrey County Park in Carmarthenshire, plus spectacular tourist destinations ranging from the National Botanic Gardens of Wales to the Great Orme.

Since 2012, 12 stages of the men’s Tour of Britain and two stages of Women’s Tour in Wales have been broadcast live, reaching millions of viewers in the UK and around the world. Every stage held in Wales has also enjoyed free-to-air highlights broadcast in Britain.

Additionally, hundreds and thousands of spectators have seen both free-to-attend events as they have passed through communities large and small across the length and breadth of Wales.

Video: Relive the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour’s previous visits to Wales

Quotes

Vaughan Gething, Welsh Government Economy Minister, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming the Tour of Britain back again next year – and to our longer-term partnership with the Tour.  Wales’ credentials for hosting cycling events is now well-established. The Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour are the perfect showcase for our landscape and the welcome we provide to the competitors and spectators and we look forward to working with our Local Authority partners as the Tour of Britain continues to reach all points of Wales.”

Anne Adams-King, Welsh Cycling CEO, said: “It’s great news that the Tour of Britain will visit Wales again for 2023 and that the race and the Women’s Tour have secured a longer-term partnership with Welsh Government. We hope this news will help boost the popularity of cycling in Wales and help inspire the younger generation to take up their bikes.”

Mick Bennett, Women’s Tour race director, said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with the Welsh Government and to be bringing the final stage of the 2023 Tour of Britain to Wales.

“The long-term support of the Welsh Government is invaluable in allowing us to plan for future stages of the races in Wales. Together we are working to reach as many parts of Wales as possible with both races over the next few years in order to give as many fans as possible the chance to see the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour.”