Route for Women’s Tour Stage 4 in Derbyshire announced
Further details of the Derbyshire stage of this year’s Women’s Tour have been announced.
Organisers finalised the route after driving it as part of a nationwide “recce” of the five-stage race.
Top women cyclists from across the globe are set to take to Derbyshire’s roads on Saturday, 10 June 2017, to battle it out for first place in the penultimate stage of the hotly-contested race.
As the Tour’s toughest stage, it will take in a wide mix of rural and urban areas starting and finishing in Chesterfield and passing through some of the county’s best-known market towns including Belper, Bolsover and Wirksworth.
Today organisers named the locations of some of the stage’s most exciting elements − the Eisberg Sprints and SKODA Queen of the Mountains sections.
Eisberg Sprints will take place in Belper and Staveley, while the SKODA Queen of the Mountains climbs will be in Crich and Middleton Top. Final details are due to be confirmed in May.
Women’s Tour Stage 4 Route – Courtesy of Derbyshire Sport
Derbyshire County Council, cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure Councillor Dean Collins said:
“Bringing this prestigious race back to Derbyshire is a great opportunity for us to showcase the county on an international stage.
“The best cyclists from around the world will be competing to win what’s going to be a very tough stage and I’d urge everyone to get involved.
“This year it takes in lots of places it didn’t visit last year, including Bolsover and Staveley, and now we know the exact route families can plan the best place to watch it from. I hope people will come along and enjoy everything it offers − a very exciting event in one of the country’s most spectacular counties.”
Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said:
“This is going to be a great weekend for people in Chesterfield and Derbyshire with The Women’s Tour, the RHS Flower Show at Chatsworth House and the Race for Life taking place in Chesterfield on the Sunday.
“There will be lots of places for people to follow the action of The Women’s Tour with the start and finish in Chesterfield town centre and I’m particularly pleased that the route will go through Staveley this year − allowing residents to join in the excitement.
“We are planning cycle and fitness activities and we will be releasing details about them closer to the event.”
Women’s secretary of the Bolsover and District Cycling Club, Jay Stocks, said the whole club was excited to see the race coming to their “patch” and would be out in force to support it.
She said:
“It’s even more accessible because it’s on a Saturday this time, so more people will be able to come and see it.
“We have some cracking hills around here with amazing views and we’ll be riding the route ourselves before the race.”
All of the world’s top 15 teams will take part in the race, which is a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour. It includes the world’s number one team Boels Dolmans, of defending race champion Lizzie Deignan (formerly Armitstead), ensuring British fans can again look forward to cheering on the world’s best riders.
In addition the British-based Drops and Sheffield-based WNT teams will complete the 17-team field.
Highlights of every stage will be broadcast on ITV4 and available on demand via the ITV Hub.
Mick Bennett, race director for The Women’s Tour said:
“We’re delighted to be returning to Chesterfield and Derbyshire after the success of last year’s stage. With the stage coming on a weekend we’re hoping it will be even bigger and better than ever.”
Find out more about the event here.
