The Tour of Britain Women will be five stages next year after the UCI agreed to a request from British Cycling to increase the length of the event.
The move comes as part of an increased effort to reach full parity with the men's equivalent after the national governing body took control of the two races, formerly managed by SweetSpot, early last year.
British Cycling confirmed the change when contacted by Cycling Weekly on Wednesday after it was previously announced that the women's race would move to an August slot on the calendar, bringing it closer to the men's event, which typically takes place in September.
"Bringing the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women up to five stages for 2026 is yet another step in creating parity between the men's and women's races - something which is fundamental to our major events vision," a British Cycling spokesperson said.
"When we took on the running of both races last year, we outlined our plans and were true to this commitment, therefore it was a no-brainer to increase prize money for the women’s race, as a first step.
"Following the hugely successful delivery of the 2025 edition of the race, we are really pleased to see our ambitious plans reflected in an increase to five stages from 2026, supported by the UCI, and we look forward to continuing to champion full parity throughout the Lloyd’s Tour of Britain races."
The men's race was cut to six stages in 2024 as a first step to reaching full parity, with British Cycling aiming to increase the women’s race to six in the coming years. FDJ-Suez's Ally Wollaston took the overall honours at the most recent edition of the women’s race, which concluded in Glasgow last month. Britain's Cat Ferguson finished second.
Speaking to Cycling Weekly last month, British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton was cautiously optimistic regarding the long-term future of the two Tours.
"We were really determined to deliver last year and grow the race and I think if you look at the Tour of Britain Women – just take the riders and the teams last year compared to the riders and the teams this year – it shows that people value racing in the UK," he said. "We need to be mindful of the business model – staging any bike race on the public highway is an expensive affair – but we're optimistic."
"Policing, safety, the public sector finances, people wanting to step forward as event organisers – it's really hard,” Dutton added. "At British Cycling we have a duty and responsibility to be part of the solution, but there is no magic wand to wave.
"What we will find is moving to a sustainable business model, we'll probably have to have some more tough conversations in the future… We've not got enough events with enough event organisers that are sustainable and that's just part of the overall challenge."
Cycling Weekly understands that details of this year's Tour of Britain Men will be released shortly. The race is expected to conclude in Cardiff to pay tribute to Geraint Thomas in what is set to be his final professional race before retirement.
