From Tewkesbury to Gloucester – with a trip through the Forest

THE Women’s Tour will be coming to the county for the first time this summer.

Gloucestershire will host stage three of the cycle race on June 8.

Spectators will be able to watch competitors make their way from Tewkesbury to Gloucester, taking a different route to the one that will be used for the sixth stage of the men’s race.

The route will head to the Forest of Dean before finishing at Gloucester Docks.

The start and finish locations are separated by a little more than ten miles, but the route will see the riders actually cycling 66 miles.

Women’s Tour race director, Mick Bennett, said: “This announcement takes us one step closer to fully unveiling what promises to be a thrilling and unpredictable 2022 Women’s Tour, and I thank everybody involved behind the scenes for their support of this world-class event.

“We know there are many cycling fans in Gloucestershire, so being able to take the race to the famous county for the first time in 2022 is fantastic news.

“But more than that, we’re excited that the Tewkesbury to Gloucester stage will give local residents the chance to watch the best riders in the world in action, potentially on multiple occasions, for free”

Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, Mark Hawthorne, said: “With details of the fantastic route the men’s tour will take through Gloucestershire now revealed, we can all begin making plans for where in the county we’ll go to watch cycling’s most elite race.

“We are also thrilled that we’ve been able to secure a stage of the Woman’s Tour for Gloucestershire.

“The benefits to the county from having two stages will be significant, so I hope everyone is getting excited. I know I am.”