The newly revealed route for stage four of the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men confirms that Warwickshire will host the race’s longest stage on 5 September.
Stretching from Atherstone to Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, Warwickshire residents can now view a detailed map of the 116.2 mile route and find out what time the world’s top professional cyclists will be passing through their local communities.
From the start in Atherstone at 10.30am, the route will take in Ansley, Shustoke, and Fillongley, before heading through Bedworth and Bulkington, then heading south via Brinklow to skirt Rugby and go through Dunchurch.
The day’s intermediate sprint will come after 85 kilometres of racing on Rugby Road in Cubbington, before the climbing starts in earnest in the second part of the stage, with the first categorised climb at Friz Hill, between Wellesbourne and Compton Verney.
From Kineton the route heads south to Shipston-on-Stour, with the next climb of Fant Hill at Upper Brailes, soon after, followed almost immediately by Sun Rising Hill, with an average of 10% over its 900 metres as it takes the race up onto the Edgehill escarpment.
The stage then uses the same finishing circuit around Burton Dassett Hills Country Park that featured in the 2019 race, when Mathieu van der Poel took a memorable stage win. Three ascents of the main, categorised, 1.4-kilometre climb, which averages 5.7% await contribute towards more than 2,100 metres of ascent in the stage, the second highest of this year’s race.
Along the way the route will take in all five districts and boroughs of Warwickshire (North Warwickshire Borough; Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough; Rugby Borough; Warwick District; and Stratford-upon-Avon District), and feature six categorised king of the mountains climbs – the most on any stage of the 2025 route.
Cllr George Finch, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that the 2025 Lloyd’s Tour of Britain Men will showcase the whole of Warwickshire, with the route travelling through every district and borough in our county. This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the unique character and beauty of each area, from our vibrant towns to our stunning countryside. I’d encourage everyone to put the date in their diaries and come out on the day to cheer on the riders and enjoy the celebrations. Let’s show the world the very best of Warwickshire!”.
Commenting on the announcement of the detailed routes, Jonathan Day, Managing Director for British Cycling Events, said; “This is the news that fans have been looking forward to, and with a month to go until the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men gets underway, we are delighted to be sharing the exciting detail of all six routes.
“Following the announcement of the fantastic line-up of teams for the race, fans can now start planning exactly where they will be watching their heroes and cheering them on in September. We have worked hard with our stakeholders across all six stages to create this great route that will build to a real climax as we reach Wales, with the racing for the green jersey sure to go all the way down to the finish line on North Road in Cardiff.”
The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins on Tuesday 2 September with a pair of stages in Suffolk, the first from Woodbridge to Southwold, before a leg starting and finishing in Stowmarket, and a third stage between Milton Keynes and Ampthill.
Following the Warwickshire stage the race concludes with a brace of challenging routes in south Wales, the first including a double ascent of The Tumble, before a final stage between the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport to the Welsh capital, Cardiff, on Sunday 7 September.
A map of the route, along with the timings for the race, is available at: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/cycletour.