2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain route - Stage-by-stage guide

The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain will kick off with a stage in the city of Lincoln, for the first time in modern Tour of Britain history. 

The stage begins in the city centre before taking the riders into the Lincolnshire Wolds, passing through Market Rasen, Caistor, Waddingham and Ingham before returning to Lincoln for the finale.

Awaiting the riders are five laps of the city-centre finishing circuit based around the Lincoln Grand Prix Route. The centrepiece of the challenging circuit is the cobbled Michaelgate ascent, which is 400m in length and averages 9.3%

It’s steepest in the first half, before the gradients ease towards the top, though this could serve as a launchpad for attacks after the legs have been stung on the initial double-digit gradients.

The road rises towards the flamme rouge, before the gradient eases in the closing metres to the finish line, where the first stage victory and green jersey will be awarded.

The second stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain will take the race from Boston to Skegness on Thursday 3 September, with both towns hosting the race for the first time in the modern era.

The stage begins in Boston’s historic Market Place before taking the riders through Coningsby, Woodhall Spa, Horncastle and Wragby, before heading back into the Lincolnshire Wolds.

With 873m of elevation gain, this is the flattest stage of the 2026 race and the only one with less than 1,000m of climbing.  

The riders will tackle two KOMs around the halfway point, with Kirmond Road measuring 0.7km at 6.7% and Rothwell Hill stretching for 1.6km at 3%.

The route continues towards Louth before following the coast through Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea, where the second intermediate sprint takes place.

The day’s final ascent comes near Langton Hill in Horncastle, with the road then flattening out for the run towards Skegness.

The pan-flat final 3km should favour the sprinters, with the race heading towards Grand Parade in the heart of Skegness, where the second stage victory and green jersey are likely to be decided in a bunch sprint.

The third stage will take the race from Hull to Beverley with 194.1km of racing across East Yorkshire.

The stage begins in Hull’s East Park before heading towards the east coast, passing through Withernsea, Hornsea and Skipsea before turning inland towards the Yorkshire Wolds

With 1,612m of elevation gain, the stage is noticeably tougher than the opening two, with three KOMs coming in the middle of the route. Burton Road is 3.3km at 2.5%, followed by Tire Ewe Hill at 1.1km and 5.1%, before Keepers Hill, which averages 4.1% over 1.6km.

The riders then head downhill towards Wetwang before reaching Beverley, where they will tackle four laps of a 16km finishing circuit.

The final kilometre rises towards the finish at Beverley Racecourse, though a bunch sprint is the most likely outcome.

The fourth stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain will take the race from Helmsley to Leyburn through the heart of North Yorkshire, with the toughest day of racing on the route and 2,699m of elevation gain to cover.

The stage begins in Helmsley before passing through Easingwold, Boroughbridge and Ripon, with the riders then entering the Yorkshire Dales and beginning a sustained run of climbing.

Greenhow Bank is the first major test, with the 3.5km ascent averaging a punishing 8%, before the route heads through Grassington and up Wharfedale towards Buckden and Cray. Kidstones follows at 2.1km in length and at a gradient of 6.9%, with the road then taking the riders past Aysgarth Falls.

Following this, the riders will tackle the 3.7km ascent at 8.2% to Redmire, which could threaten to split the race apart. The climb comes inside the final 50km, and with plenty of uncategorised climbing remaining, it should be an attritional finale.

The final run-in to Leyburn is undulating, and the road rises gradually inside the final kilometres. Whoever wins this stage should likely be in the mix for overall victory.

The fifth and final stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain will take the race to the Scottish Borders, starting and finishing in Earlston for the first time.

The Scottish Borders returns to the men’s race after hosting the opening stage in Kelso in 2024, but this will be the first time Earlston has welcomed the Tour.

The riders will head from Earlston towards Smailholm and Kelso before turning towards Hume, Greenlaw and Duns. The route then enters the Lammermuir Hills, passing Whiteadder Water before reaching the main block of categorised climbing.

Redstone Rig is the first test at 3.8km and 4.3%, followed by Duddy Bank at 3.1km and 3.3%, before Hardens Hill provides the final categorised climb of the 2026 edition at 2.2km and 4.5%.

With 2,236m of elevation gain, the climbing is largely concentrated in the middle of the stage, leaving a long run back towards Earlston and two laps of the 19km finishing circuit.

The final 3km should be particularly fast. If several riders remain in contention for the overall victory, positioning and a strong sprint could prove crucial on the run to the line.