London will host the final stage of the Women's Tour on Sunday 11 June, as the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan helped Olympic Champion Katie Archibald unveil the route for the 2017 race. The location for the 2017 Tour Ride sportive has also been revealed.
The fourth edition of the Women's Tour takes place on 7-11 June and will include stages in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and Derbyshire, plus a major new charity partnership with Breast Cancer Care to celebrate 25 years of the pink ribbon.
Amateur cyclists will also be able to get on their bikes in Northamptonshire one week after the final stage. The Tour Ride sportive will take place on Sunday 18 June, with a choice of 40 and 80-mile sportive routes, plus a 10-mile Family Ride.
All of the world's top 15 teams will take part in the Women's Tour race, which is a part of the UCI Women's WorldTour. Defending champion Lizzie Deignan will return with her top-ranked Boels Dolmans team, along with Wiggle HIGH5 and the British-based Drops and WNT teams.
The final stage of The Women's Tour will take place over 14 laps of the same iconic 6-kilometre circuit as used by the men's Tour of Britain, starting and finishing on Regent Street St James and featuring the likes of Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall on every lap.
Helping launch the 2017 edition of the Tour, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: "I'm really excited that the most prestigious women's cycling race in the world is coming to the streets of central London for the first time.
"Londoners will be able to see their Olympic heroes and the world's top riders competing up close, reviving the excitement we all felt during the Olympics. The race shows our continuing commitment to London hosting the very best sporting events in world.
"One of my key priorities is making cycling safer and easier for Londoners of all backgrounds, and I hope that having the Women's Tour here will inspire thousands more Londoners to take up cycling as part of their everyday lives."
Breast Cancer Care is the Official Charity Partner of The Women's Tour. This specialist support charity has 1,000 places for women to cycle their Pink Ribbon Tour, completing 25km on the circuit whilst raising money for women facing breast cancer. Everyone will come together in support of the most common cancer affecting women in the UK and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the pink ribbon.
Samia al Qadhi, Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Care, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be the Official Charity Partner of The Women's Tour.
"We only have 1,000 places in the Pink Ribbon Tour. Register now to turn London pink and cycle 25km through the capital's iconic streets to show solidarity to women affected by breast cancer."
The Women's Tour will begin in Northamptonshire on Wednesday 7 June, with the opening stage between Daventry and Kettering before the second stage includes Staffordshire and the city of Stoke-on-Trent.
Warwickshire will welcome a leg of the race for the second successive year, with Atherstone and Royal Leamington Spa the host venues, before the penultimate stage starts and finishes in Chesterfield, where Lizzie Deignan won Stage Three in 2016, and includes extensive climbing for the riders.
Team WNT's Katie Archibald, who won Gold in the Team Pursuit in Rio de Janeiro said; "The race being hosted by London is a fantastic opportunity for women's cycling and shows how far the sport has grown over the past couple of years.
"I'm excited but also nervous about the opportunity to ride the Women's Tour since it's one of the most competitive stage races on the women's UCI calendar. Riding for Team WNT I hope to make an impact on the road scene after a change of focus from an enjoyable track season in 2016."
Commenting on the route, Women's Tour Race Director Mick Bennett said:
"Having the Mayor of London invite us to London for the final stage of The Women's Tour shows the status of the event, that just three years on from its creation it can be a part of the UCI Women's WorldTour and feature all of the world's top 15 teams. This year's route will combine testing climbs and beautiful scenery in the heart of England with the London finish, which will be an undoubted highlight of the sporting calendar.
"Counties such as Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Derbyshire have embraced The Women's Tour, so this year's edition will see yet more of the huge roadside crowds cheering on the world's best."
A one-hour highlights programme of every stage will be broadcast daily on ITV4 and available on demand via the ITV Hub.
Women's Tour 2017 Route
Stage 1 - Wednesday 7 June - Daventry to Kettering
Stage 2 - Thursday 8 June - Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire
Stage 3 - Friday 9 June - Atherstone to Royal Leamington Spa
Stage 4 - Saturday 10 June - Chesterfield and Derbyshire
Stage 5 - Sunday 11 June - The London Stage
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