With less than 20 days to go until Britain’s biggest professional women’s cycling event, the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, finishes in Glasgow, riders and organisers have gathered on Glasgow Green to celebrate the event and accompanying Family Cycling Festival.

Building on Glasgow’s cycling legacy, as well as stage four of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women taking place within the city centre on Sunday 8 June, as fans, families, and cyclists of all ages and abilities will have the chance to ride the same route in the afternoon, completely free of charge.

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival will run from 9am to 5pm on Glasgow Green, with free events and activities throughout the day for people to enjoy. The 10-lap professional race will take place on the 8.4-kilometre circuit between 10am and 12.15pm, with each lap running through the event village on Glasgow Green, where there will be big screens to follow all of the action.

From 1pm to 4pm, fans, families, and cyclists of all ages and abilities will be able to ride on the same circuit and enjoy a unique cycling experience in the heart of Glasgow.
 
In addition to the main route, a 2.4-kilometre route around Glasgow Green will also be available during the same window for those who prefer a shorter ride.

With the race and Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival both due to start and finish from Glasgow Green, riders Arianne Holland (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) and Morven Yeoman (DAS – Hutchinson), joined representatives from event partners Glasgow Life, VisitScotland, Scottish Cycling, and race organisers British Cycling Events to celebrate the event.

Speaking at the photocall, Arianne Holland, Handsling Alba Development Road Team, who is from Stirling and rode in the 2024 race, said; “The Festival is phenomenally important. It gets people involved in a day that they might not have been involved in before. It gives people the chance to experience this closed road, safe environment, and see what we’re experiencing as professionals.

“It’s an amazing circuit. City centre racing is really exciting; it’s going to be a really tough stage, that eight kilometre loop, with technical corners, it requires more than just a good amount of power to get around, you’ve got to have good bike handling skills too.

“I raced last year when it finished in Manchester and that felt close to home, so to have it unbelievably close to home and the opportunity to race at this level, on home roads is just phenomenal.”

DAS Hutchinson rider Morven Yeoman, from Strathaven, added, “This is as close to home roads as it gets for me, so it’s going to be super nice to do the circuit, but also the Scottish Borders stage around Kelso as well.

“To have a circuit where people can see you more than once is really nice, and it’s great to have friends and family come out to watch me. With the circuit around Glasgow you’ll be able to hear your name getting cheered out, spot faces in the crowd, and have that little extra motivation to get through.

“I encourage everyone to get on a bike, any bike they can get their hands on, and to come out. It’s going to be closed roads, and you don’t get that in many city centres so it’s great to have free reign riding on the roads and experiencing what us elite riders have just experienced. It’s definitely really important and I encourage everyone to come along and get involved.”

Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council Convenor for Culture, Sport and International Relations, said: “Glasgow is gearing up for a phenomenal day of competition and fun as our city gets set to host the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women finale. Spectators can look forward to watching some of the best female cyclists ride along iconic Glasgow streets and past our famous landmarks during what is Britain’s biggest professional women’s cycling event.

“Cyclists of all abilities will then have a chance to make special memories with family and friends thanks to the unique opportunity to cycle on the same traffic-free route as the professionals and enjoy free biking activities in Glasgow Green as part of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival.”

Lucy Jones, Operations Director for British Cycling Events, said; “It’s important that major events like the Lloyds Tour of Britain make a lasting impact on communities above and beyond the race itself. That’s why we’re closing the roads to traffic and ensuring that everyone - no matter your age or stage - gets to experience the joy of riding a bike on the streets of their own city, in a safe and welcoming environment.
 
“The novelty of watching the best female cyclist in the world, then cycling along the same roads with hundreds of others will be an experience that families and children will remember long after the day itself and we hope this experience inspires people to continue their cycling journey into everyday life. Particularly young girls who we’re encouraging along to our Go Ride clubs this summer.”

Nick Rennie, Chief Executive of Scottish Cycling, said; “The Lloyd's Tour of Britain Women is going to add a great deal of excitement for cycling in Scotland, particularly for women and girl's cycling, which is a real driver for us after the launch of our Women & Girls Strategy last year. We saw real enthusiasm for the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023, so it's going to be great to build on that with two fantastic days of racing in Scotland, firstly in Kelso, before the finale in Glasgow city centre."

VisitScotland’s Regional Director, Lynne Cooper, said; “Events play an important role in growing Scotland’s visitor economy. They generate economic growth, inspire community pride, and strengthen our global reputation as a premier destination for tourism and events.

Glasgow offers a fantastic setting for cycling, and the Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival is a wonderful chance to explore the city in a fun, active way. It’s an opportunity for families and friends to connect, share experiences, and create lasting memories together.”

For more information on the Lloyds Tour of Britain Family Cycling Festival, please click here.
 
For more information about timings and details of road closures in Glasgow, please click here.

The Glasgow Stage forms part of a Scottish weekend at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, with the race visiting Scotland for the first time. Stage three takes place in the Scottish Borders, starting and finishing in Kelso, on Saturday 7 June, before the final stage comes to Glasgow.

Among the riders scheduled to take part are current European champion Lorena Wiebes, double 2024 Olympic gold medallist Kristen Faulkner, and former race winner and world champion Lizzie Deignan, in what will be her final season of racing.