Race News: Bicester Women’s Tour Grand Départ

The Oxfordshire town of Bicester will host the start of the Women’s Tour in 2020, it was announced on Thursday 13 February

Race News: Bicester Women’s Tour Grand Départ

The Oxfordshire town of Bicester will host the start of the Women’s Tour in 2020, it was announced on Thursday 13 February. Sitting in the Cherwell district of north eastern Oxfordshire, Bicester’s history dates back over 1,000 years. The 2020 Women’s Tour will begin in the town’s Market Square, which comprises part of its historic town trail.

Bicester was named an NHS Healthy New Town in 2016, providing funding for three years to encourage residents to increase their physical activity, think more about their diet and help people to become more involved in their community to combat social isolation. This is the second year that Oxfordshire will host The Women’s Tour. Race organiser SweetSpot are working in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and local district councils to deliver the event as part of a three-year commitment which began in 2019.

After leaving Bicester, the world-class field of riders will weave their way through towns, villages and rural areas, inspiring local schools to organise themed sport and fitness lessons. Details of the finish host venue – also in Oxfordshire – will be announced in due course.

The 2020 Women’s Tour takes place between Monday 8 and Saturday 13 June and is the UK’s only round of the UCI Women’s Tour series in 2020. Today’s Oxfordshire stage start launch follows last month’s announcement that Suffolk will host the race’s finale for the first time since 2014.