It's official – the women's Tour of Britain race is coming to Cheshire East!

On Saturday, June 8th, the third stage of the four-stage race, which starts and ends in Warrington, will predominantly take place in the borough.

The peloton will have amassed more than 280km and 3,800m of climbing in the opening two days of racing in Wales before crossing the border to arrive in Warrington for day three, as Cheshire prepares to host the world's best riders and teams for the third day of the competition.

As the flattest of the four stages, the crowds lining the route are expected to see the first bunch sprint finish of the 2024 tour and incredible speeds as riders do battle on day three for 107km.

The stage will start and finish in front of the Golden Gates of Warrington Town Hall, with riders set to depart at 11:15am.

The peloton will then immediately head south, crossing the River Mersey and Manchester Canal, passing the stunning Walton Hall and Gardens and then on through the picturesque Cheshire West and Chester villages of Higher Whitley, Great Budworth and Wincham. The anti-clockwise route will gradually start to ramp up from around the 25km mark, before the riders face the two main climbs of the day, where points in the two Queen of the Mountain (QOM) segments are up for grabs.

Riders will ascend a 5.66km-long climb from Pexhill Road to Broken Cross where the first QOM points are available, before descending into Prestbury, which sits in sight of the Pennine foothills.

Crossing the River Bollin, the route then ramps back up to Pott Shrigley in the foothills of the Peak District where further QOM points await.

Two further tough sections of racing in Mottram St Andrew will add a further sting before the route passes through Knutsford and onwards to Mere for the intermediate sprint.

A short, sharp descent from Appleton Thorn will set the peloton up for a fast, flat run back into Warrington for what is expected to be a nail-biting finish, with riders expected to cross the line at around 2.15pm – completing an exciting three hours of racing.

Councillor Michael Gorman, chair of Cheshire East Council's economy and growth committee, said: "It's brilliant news to welcome the Tour of Britain's women's race this year after how successfully we have hosted the men's event in the past.

"I urge residents to embrace the occasion and get out to support these fantastic athletes as they come through our beautiful villages. With the stage taking place on a Saturday as well, it's a fantastic opportunity for friends and families to gather and get fully behind a great event while supporting our local economy."

Councillor Chris Hilliard, Cheshire East Council's walking and cycling member champion, said: "The fact that British Cycling are bringing such a large section of this year's Tour of Britain race back to Cheshire East shows what a high regard our borough is held in for cycling.

"There's no better way to promote cycling to a new audience than to bring an elite competition to our local communities and the fact that's it's the women's tour is very positive to see. With women's sport continuing to be on a huge upward curve – this will only encourage more and more women and girls into cycling, which is fantastic news."

For more information on the Women's Tour of Britain race and other British cycling events, please visit: www.britishcycling.org.uk

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