Tour of Britain cut back to six stages

British Cycling to match stage count and prize money with women’s race from 2025

The men’s Tour of Britain will be cut from eight to six stages in 2024 in order to lay the foundations for full parity with its women’s equivalent in the years ahead. It follows on from British Cycling announcing it will now organise both races in-house under its new major events subsidiary.

In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly, British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton confirmed the details of the plan and explained that talks were scheduled with the UCI in order to gain the necessary permission to scale back the Protour event.

“We’ve taken the decision to run the 2024 edition of the Tour of Britain Men over six days rather than the current eight, and we intend to seek permission from the UCI to extend the Tour of Britain Women to six days from 2025,” he said.

“This would bring full parity to the events after our decision to align the event names this year – something which is fundamental to our vision for major cycling events in Britain.”

It’s believed the aim of ‘full parity’ will also include the value of future prize money.

British Cycling has contacted various men’s teams to gather opinion on the potential reduction of race days. Dutton explained that there was support for the decision for a variety of reasons.

“There was a feeling that the reduction in the number of stages will provide more compelling and animated racing for riders at the roadside to enjoy,” he explained.

Cycling Weekly revealed last month that the shortened Tour of Britain Women is set to start in Wales in June.

While there has still been no confirmation of major backers for either the men’s or women’s events, more details on routes are expected soon.

“Our host towns and cities for the Tour