After drip feeding details, British Cycling has finally confirmed the host towns of the 2025 Tour of Britain. Set to start on Tuesday 2nd September, the race will begin in Woodbridge, Suffolk and finish in the Welsh capital Cardiff six days later.
The men’s Tour of Britain will start in Suffolk for the first time since 2012. The riders will then cut across England, with visits to Bedfordshire and Warwickshire along the way. The race soon crosses into Wales on Stage 5, opening up a decisive weekend of racing in southern Wales which will feature a double ascent of The Tumble (5km at 8.4%). In honour of the retiring Geraint Thomas, the Tour concludes in his home city of Cardiff on Sunday 7th September.
The startlist is relatively unknown at the moment, and it remains uncertain whether reigning champion Stevie Williams will be fit enough to defend his title. Regardless, several WorldTour teams are expected to travel to Suffolk, with Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates XRG, Soudal-QuickStep and Ineos Grenadiers confirmed.
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The 2025 Tour of Britain route
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Suffolk hosts the opener to the 2025 edition of the men’s race, making this the third consecutive year that the southern county features on the parcours. After two flat days in Suffolk, with finishes in Southwold and Stowmarket, the race moves towards central England. There, the peloton meets the first uphill tests of the race, including the steep uphill arrival at Burton Dasett Hills Country Park in Warwickshire.
The day after, the GC fight will flare up once again, this time in Wales. The 5km-long kicker, sweetly named The Tumble, comes on two occasions at the end of Stage 5. This also allows for the first proper summit finish at the Tour of Britain in several years.
As an homage to Geraint Thomas, who will ride his final pro race at the Tour of Britain, the race will conclude in south Wales, with riders rolling out from the Geraint Thomas National Veldodrome in Newport. From there, the parcours weaves into Cardiff, with a brief passage by his childhood track in Maindy. This is Cardiff’s second time hosting the finale of the Tour of Britain, last having had the honour in 2017.
The north of England and Scotland have both been cut off the map for the men’s race this year. This is perhaps down to the north-heavy Tour of Britain Women back in June. All of the counties on the route have held the Tour of Britain previously, but there are six new host towns on this year’s course, including Southwold and Pontypool.
Full list of host towns and dates
- Stage 1: Woodbridge to Southwold (Tuesday 2nd September)
- Stage 2: Stowmarket to Stowmarket (Wednesday 3rd September)
- Stage 3: Milton Keynes to Ampthill (Thursday 4th September)
- Stage 4: Atherstone to Burton Dasett Hills Country Park (Friday 5th September)
- Stage 5: Pontypool to The Tumble (Saturday 6th September)
- Stage 6: Newport to Cardiff (Sunday 7th September)
Stage 1: Woodbridge to Southwold
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The Suffolk town of Woodbridge, located just to the north of Ipswich, is home to Ango-Saxon burial site Sutton Hoo, but on Tuesday 2nd September, it will host the first stage of Britain’s biggest bike race.
Froom Woodbridge, British Cycling has confirmed that the parcours will pass through Wickham Market, Aldeburgh, Saxmundham, Framlingham, Halesworth, Bungay and Beccles en route to the stage finish in Southwold. The quaint seaside town may not have hosted the men’s race before, but the women’s race visited back in 2018, when Jolien D’Hoore took the win.
Author George Orwell lived in Southwold for several years, but it has also gained local notoriety for being the home of Adnams Brewery.
Stage 2: Stowmarket to Stowmarket
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Sticking in Suffolk, the second stage moves to Stowmarket. With fewer coastal views than Stage 1, the parcours will ring around the East Anglian countryside, with an emphasis on the Babergh District.
Stowmarket hasn’t hosted a stage of the men’s race before, but, like Southwold, it was the scene of a Jolien D’Hoore victory at the Tour of Britain Women during her heyday.
Stage 3: Milton Keynes to Ampthill
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We part ways with East Anglia on Stage 3 and head to the Home Counties.
The start line to Stage 3 will be marked out across Midsummer Boulevard in Milton Keynes, a town that hasn’t hosted the Tour of Britain in almost 20 years. From the roundabout capital of England, the course will wind its way through Bedfordshire towards Tour of Britain newbie Ampthill. With a finish expected along Woburn Road, the race will pass by Woburn Forest and its accompanying safari park during the final kilometres.
Judging from the local topography, the stage should be flat. With that, expect a sprint in Ampthill.
Stage 4: Atherstone to Burton Dassett Hills Country Park
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We move into the Midlands for Stage 4, a day that will pass through each of the five boroughs of Warwickshire. Heading out from the north of the county in Atherstone, the stage negtiates its way around Birmingham southwards to Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
The finale will see the riders negotaite a circuit around Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. There’s a fair 700m bump at a 9% gradient to contend with on the three laps, plus the stage finish. The kicker will be ideal for puncheurs, or riders looking to gain a leap forward in the GC before the Welsh summit finish the following day.
The Country Park hosted stages of both the men’s and women’s Tour of Britain in 2019. While Mathieu van der Poel claimed the victory in the men’s race, Kasia Niewidoma proved her worth in the women’s event. This victory has been well remmebered in the cycling zeitgeist because up until last year, it was the Pole’s last pro win.
Stage 5: Pontypool to The Tumble
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Setting off from rugby powerhouse Pontypool, the fifth stage will start climbing from the off. After traversing Monmouthshire, the toughest uphill test of the race so far will come at The Tumble. Wedged in between Blaenavon and Abergavenny, the climb will climb will be negotiated on two occasions, including the summit finish.
The 5km-long climb is a brute for British standards, with an average gradient of 8.2%. The last and only time that The Tumble hosted the Tour of Britain was back in 2014. On the day, the now-retired Edoardo Zardini claimed a solo victory atop the Welsh ramp. On the 2025 edition though, the climb will no doubt be the biggets GC day on paper.
Stage 6: Newport to Cardiff
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The final stage of the Tour of Britain 2025 is all about Geraint Thomas, who has confirmed his retirement at the end of the season.
To begin the tribute, the stage begins at the Geraint Thomas National Veldodrome in Newport. After a detour through the South Wales valleys, the course will swing by the Maindy Veldrome, the track Thomas began riding on as a youngster. The stage is then scheduled to come to a close in Cardiff’s city centre.
The Welsh capital hasn’t played host to the Tour of Britain since 2017, when Edvald Boasson Hagen lifted his arms in victory. Despite all the talk being of Geraint Thomas, the final stage will give Cardiff a chance to prepare for its expected Tour de France appearance in 2027.
On top of this, amateurs will be able to ride the course the day before the Tour of Britain arrives. The sportive, called Tour of Britain Ride the Route, will take place on Saturday 6th September and offers two lengths: 80km or 140km.
Full route maps and time schedules will be shared by British Cycling in the weeks to come. Follow our Tour of Britain hub to stay up to date on race news.
