Tour of Britain Men 2026

Tour of Britain Men Information

The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men returns for a second edition as a UCI ProSeries stage race, six days of racing from September 2-7.

The stage race began in 1945 and has been restructured through the years, with the modern version taking shape 21 years ago. In 2024, British Cycling took over the organisation for more financial stability and a full refurbishment.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) won the overall title last year by a slim two seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and another two seconds on Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor). The race was also a final competition on home roads for 20-year veteran Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).

There will be five UCI WorldTour teams alongside four ProTeams, eight Continental teams and the Great Britain national team. The world's number one WorldTour team, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, will be joined by British squad Netcompany Ineos, Decathlon CMA CGM, NSN Cycling and Soudal-QuickStep.

The Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling squad features Tom Pidcock, the 20222 Tour of Britain runner-up, and Fred Wright, British road race national champion. Other ProTeams are Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, Flanders-Baloise and Tudor Pro. All eight of the Continental teams make their race debuts.

Five days of racing for the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begin in Lincolnshire, taking in seaside towns on the East Coast, going through the Yorkshire Dales and then from the Lammermuir Hills, the peloton will head to the Scottish Borders for an overall finish in Earlston. In all, the peloton will cover 910.3 kilometres (565 miles) with 8,814 metres (28,917 feet) of elevation gain.

The women’s race will be held August 19-23 August, and is part of the Women's WorldTour.

Join Cyclingnews for coverage all four days, and check in after each stage for our full report, results, gallery, news and features.

Tour of Britain Men 2026 route

Coastlines, countrysides and challenging climbs will be on full display at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men in 2026, with a total of 910.3 kilometres (565 miles) and 8,814 metres (28,917 feet) of elevation gain featured from September 2-6.

The first day of racing begins Wednesday in Lincoln, which will host the race for a first time with both the start and finish. The peloton heads north into the Lincolnshire Wolds to begin the 182.5km main loop. After passing through Caistor and Waddington, the direction moves back west to Ingham and then a return to Lincoln. The riders will then tackle the prestigious 11.3% average gradient climb of Michaelgate five times on a final circuit in the city centre.

Stage 2 meanders for 180.2km between Boston and Skegness, the two cities separated by only 35km in direct driving distance. However, the Tour of Britain Men will ride north from the start through Woodhall Spa, Horncastle and Wragby before turning east into the Lincolnshire Wolds for a second day. From Louth, the route moves south to brush the coastline at Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea, then diverts inland for the climb near Langton Hill. A sprint finish is expected in Skegness on this flattest day of the five.

On the north side of River Hull, stage 3 heads north along the coast from a start in Hull. The 194.1km route passes a northernmost point at Burton Agnes, then offers a series of climbs around to Driffield and into Wetwang. A 16km finish circuit awaits at Beverley, completed four times, and an uphill drag to the racecourse for the conclusion.

Saturday's stage 4 is noted by organisers as "a pivotal moment in deciding the 2026 general classification", with 2,699 metres of elevation gain packed into 165.8km from Helmsley to Leyburn.

The route starts in the North York Moors National Park at Helmsley and heads south-west to Yorkshire Dales National Park via Easingwold, Boroughbridge and Ripon. Climbs include the 12.6% gradients at Kidstones (2.9km, average 6.3%), which was used at both the 2014 Tour de France opening stage and the men’s road race at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. Greets Moss (4.4km, average 6.9%) and Grinton Moor (4.4km, average 5.3%) are quick back-to-back climbs before the finish in Leyburn.

The stage 5 finale will start and end in Earlston for a total of 156.1km, and lots more climbing, a total of 2,236 metres. First, the peloton rolls towards Smailholm, then goes toward Kelso for passes through Hume, Greenlaw and Duns. Through the Lammermuir Hills, there are climbs to Redstone Rig and Duddy Bank. Back into Earlston, a finish circuit of 19km needs to be completed twice for a winner to be decided.

Tour of Britain Men 2026 start list

• Decathlon CMA CGM
• Netcompany Ineos
• NSN Pro Cycling
• Soudal-QuickStep
• UAE Team Emirates-XRG
• Flanders-Baloise
• Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling
• Modern Adventure Pro Cycling
• Tudor Pro
• APS Pro Cycling Team by Team Cadence Cyclery
• BIKE AID
• BHS-PL Beton Bornholm
• Lucky Sport Cycling
• St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93
• Storck-MRW Bau
• Tarteletto-Isorex
• Team United Shipping
• Great Britain Cycling Team