Dalby Forest and North York Moors to make cycling history by hosting most northerly stage of Women’s Tour

Stage three of this year’s event (Friday June 9), which begins in Dalby Forest and ends at Guisborough, will be the most challenging in the five-day Tour and will showcase the landscape together with both the quality of the cycling and the related facilities available to all leisure cyclists.

According to the race organiser, last year’s Women’s Tour attracted average daily roadside attendances of 60,000 spectators and delivered an economic boost of over £1m to local economies.

The race underlines a big year for cycling in Dalby Forest and the North York Moors.

This spring will see the opening of a new eXplorer route by Dalby Forest in conjunction with the Dalby Forest Cycling Hub.

This 15km route circles part of the forest with some spectacular views over the incredible landscape, alongside the humbling feeling of being free amongst the trees.

Then on July 15, the National Park’s new ‘Hearts and Minds’ community cycling event will take place, starting from Sutton Bank, in support of Tom Parson’s Trust, British Heart Foundation and the National Park Trust.

The Women’s Tour stage will help strengthen the reputation of the North York Moors as a cycling-friendly destination.

To-date more than 70 businesses, from cafés and accommodation through to cycle shops and bike hire locations have joined the National Park’s cycling-friendly scheme making it easier for cyclists to plan a trip and get support during their journey.

New routes have been created including the flagship 171-mile North York Moors Cycleway that guides road cyclists in a figure of eight right across the National Park using quieter roads and past many of the landscape’s highlights.

In recent years there has also been an increased focus on making cycling more accessible.

For instance, the Dalby Forest Cycle Hub hires a range of adapted bikes such as recumbent trikes for those with balance issues and tandems for people with a visual impairment so they can enjoy cycling along a number of the accessible forest trails.

More details of the Dalby Forest to Guisborough route that the Women’s Tour will follow will be announced in the coming weeks.

Previously Dalby Forest was the scene of a stage finish in the men’s Tour of Britain in 2008 and Guisborough welcomed rounds of the Tour Series circuit race event in 2021 and 2022.

Tom Hind, Chief Executive Officer of the North York Moors National Park Authority, said: “We are delighted that the North York Moors will host a stage of Britain’s most prestigious women's cycling race.

“Cycling is a fantastic way to experience the area and a great boost to both physical and mental health. In the National Park’s Management Plan, alongside our commitments to climate and nature, we also endeavour to position the North York Moors as the premier family cycling destination in the north of England.

“On 9 June, professional athletes will showcase their elite speed and talent, and the incredible landscapes that we work to protect will be shared with nation. We simply can’t wait to be part of the excitement.”