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Women's Tour cancelled for 2023, organisers cite lack of financial backing

Week-long stage race pulled from the calendar in latest blow to British racing

The Women’s Tour, the biggest women's race hosted in Britain, is on the chopping block as the organisers, also behind the men's Tour of Britain, said the landmark race will go on a hiatus for 2023 owing to high running costs and a lack of sponsors and commercial support.

The award-winning race, whose ninth edition was due to roll out on June 7th in Stratford-upon-Avon, has been a staple of British racing in the past few years. The organisers, Sweetspot, who created the race in 2014 and have run it ever since, are finding it difficult to fund the race.

In their announcement of the axe today morning, the organisers said: “Owing to a combination of increased running costs (approximately 20% higher in comparison to the 2022 race), a reduced level of commercial support, and challenges in finding a vehicle partner to replace ŠKODA to help create a safe racing environment for riders and spectators alike, it has proved impossible to deliver the event that was proposed for June.”

> Women’s Tour in danger of being cancelled as organisers make urgent plea for sponsors

On 9 March, the same day that they revealed the route for the now-cancelled this year’s event, Sweetspot had issued an urgent appeal for sponsorship of the 2023 edition of the race, with reports suggesting that if new backing is not secured, the event may have to be cancelled. The Guardian had reported that the organisers face a £500,000 shortfall.

A few days after that, Sweetspot had launched a a crowdfunding initiative to help cover the event’s organisational costs and make up for the shortfall in sponsorship income, as two-time winner Lizzie Deignan declared her support for the beleaguered event.

The organisers, whose event already seemed under fears of organisational shortfall, seemed to have succumbed in the wake of a lack of financial backing.

This decision was taken after the three-week renewed appeal for funding failed to muster the £100,000 deficit for Sweetspot to justify running the race, instead only securing £18,000 via the crowdfunding scheme GoFundMe. The company said it seemed impossible to cover up the holes in finances with no hopes of finding more resources. They also mentioned that the refunds process has already begun to all those who donated through GoFundMe.

> Women’s Tour launches crowdfunding campaign to cover sponsorship shortfall

The organisers Sweetspot, who created the race in 2014 and have run it every year ever since (except in 2020 when it cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic), along with another cornerstone of British racing calendar, men’s Tour of Britain, had hoped that the route announcement will generate additional commercial interest in the race.

In 2022, the week-long stage race went ahead without a title sponsor. Three of the race’s four jerseys – the leader, mountains and best young rider classifications – were also without a sponsor.

Additionally, the race is also seeking a vehicle partner after Skoda exercised a break clause to end its deal at the end of last year. Sweetspot has a soft deadline of mid-April to begin plugging the gap given the need to begin booking accommodation.

The race already had interest from sponsors like cottages.com, Brother UK, Accurist and cycleGuard, but that seems to have failed to have provided enough financial backing for the organisers.

The Women's Tour is Britain’s longest-running major international stage race, which boasts riders like Lizzie Deignan, Marianne Vos and Elisa Longo Borghini as its former winners.

Back in March, Race director Mick Bennett had said: “Given the current economic climate, we have had to work harder than ever before to put together a race befitting of the world’s best teams and riders, so I must thank all of our stakeholders for their continued support of the event.

“We look forward to seeing engaged communities, packed towns, and crowded cities at this year’s race. See you all in June!”

As of now, the organisers say that they are already working on plans for next year’s edition, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the inaugural Women’s Tour. Wales will host the event’s Grand Départ for the first time as part of a long-term agreement already in place with the Welsh Government.

Sweetspot also mentioned that commercial partners wishing to be involved in the 2024 edition can find out more information on their website.

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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17 comments

Avatar
Fignon's ghost | 9 months ago
0 likes

Where are the cycling philanthropists? Someone should support this essential race.

Shameful. Laughing stock of Europe.

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maj7667@gmail.com | 9 months ago
0 likes

Comment by a runner turned cyclist - Why can't women's races be combined with men's races like all running races are? There could be a staggered or separate start. The logistics might be more complicated, but not impossible. Ok, purists might not like it, but it's better than nothing.

Avatar
Velovite | 9 months ago
2 likes

All the more shocking as we learn that Richie Sunak has just spent £500,000 of tax payers money on private jet flights in a fortnight

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Dhill replied to Velovite | 9 months ago
0 likes
Velovite wrote:

All the more shocking as we learn that Richie Sunak has just spent £500,000 of tax payers money on private jet flights in a fortnight

lf only he had gone by bike.

This is a real shame though.

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PRSboy | 9 months ago
2 likes

Thats a real shame, it was always good racing to watch.

I'd rather have the Womens Tour than a third of tax-dodger Lineker on telly.

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Eton Rifle replied to PRSboy | 9 months ago
2 likes
PRSboy wrote:

Thats a real shame, it was always good racing to watch.

I'd rather have the Womens Tour than a third of tax-dodger Lineker on telly.

And Golden Shoehorn of the Week goes to...

Oh and Lineker has won his appeal against HMRC. Do try to keep up eh? 👍

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NOtotheEU replied to Eton Rifle | 9 months ago
2 likes
Eton Rifle wrote:
PRSboy wrote:

Thats a real shame, it was always good racing to watch.

I'd rather have the Womens Tour than a third of tax-dodger Lineker on telly.

And Golden Shoehorn of the Week goes to... Oh and Lineker has won his appeal against HMRC. Do try to keep up eh? 👍

I assumed that was the point. He 'dodged' paying £4.9 million in tax (or legally avoided if you're a fan of his). I don't have intimate knowledge of his finances but I'm guessing using the right legal loopholes he pays a lower percentage of tax on his earnings than the person who cleans the studio after he goes home.

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PRSboy replied to Eton Rifle | 9 months ago
4 likes

I am up to date thank you. He may have won his legal fight but he's still a tax dodger. 

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Rendel Harris replied to PRSboy | 9 months ago
2 likes
PRSboy wrote:

I am up to date thank you. He may have won his legal fight but he's still a tax dodger. 

If, as the court has decreed, he has paid the correct amount of tax for his tax status, how is that being a tax dodger? It's not as though he had dodgy Cayman Islands companies through which he was routing his funds, JRM style, he simply (and correctly, as the court has ruled) paid tax as a freelance contractor and not as a BBC employee. Paying all your taxes on time, in full, and at the correct rate is not tax dodging.

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Jimmy Ray Will | 9 months ago
0 likes

The beauty of the Sweetspot model has always been that they are not reliant on large name commercial sponsorship to fund the race. Rather, individual councils fund indivdual stages, which in theory makes things far more sustainable. 

The challenge with this model is two-fold. Firstly, like any other cycle sport sponsorship, the potential returns for hosting a stage diminish markedly after 2-3 years partnership. Sweetspot have been running the men's and Women's tour for long enough now that they will be getting to the stage that most willing councils have been identified and already rinsed. It's a finite prospect base, and as such, it will get harder and harder to find willing supporters.

Secondly, the squeeze on public spending means there are less available funds for councils or commercial partners to support the events. 

In short, unless there is a significant change in council funding, or Sweetspot change their funding model, there will be no Women's Tour in 2024 either. 

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Secret_squirrel | 9 months ago
3 likes

Hmmmm. 

Remind me what British Cycling is doing with the millions of petro-dollars its green-laundering for Shell again?

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Awavey replied to Secret_squirrel | 9 months ago
0 likes

Fwiw neither Sky or HSBC funded this race, though BC do fund the Tour of Britain in some way, or own naming rights, as that's why it's called the Tour of Britain, and Sweetspot weren't allowed to call this the Women's Tour of Britain and ended up as The Women's Tour instead, even though the media never got the difference, and BC and its main sponsor logos were always visible at the race.

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Velophaart_95 | 10 months ago
0 likes

Sad, but not entirely surprising news - and a damning indicment on the sport in the UK. One wonders just how much is being spent on the 'super Worlds' in Scotland in August - and has left nothing left.

We've had numerous World champions in CX in recent years, but can't find a venue/ backing to host a round of the World Cup......

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Rendel Harris | 10 months ago
3 likes

That is absolutely terrible news. £500,000? For an event that could encourage huge numbers of women and girls to take up cycling, with the proven advantages to the Exchequer in terms of improved health and well-being? If ever there were a case for state intervention...the government gives the FA £30 million a year, for heaven's sake.

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Awavey replied to Rendel Harris | 10 months ago
1 like

Fwiw I don't think government funding the event is the right way forward, though do pause to consider whom the councils who act as stage partners & hosts are receiving the money they pay to be involved from.

In theory the UCI will have to demote the race from WWT level, the costs may then lessen to make it more sustainable though Ride London Classique may replace it ultimately.

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Rendel Harris replied to Awavey | 10 months ago
2 likes

Not permanently maybe but just for a year? Just to keep it alive and give the organisers another year to try to find a solution, once these things disappear from the calendar it becomes a good deal more difficult to revive them.

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Awavey replied to Rendel Harris | 10 months ago
0 likes

Which just delays the inevitable unfortunately imo, plus if the government have that kind of money I think there are better ways to promote cycling to women than this.

Suffolk hosted a stage in every edition of the race bar 2017 and werent due to host one this year, so 7 years of stages sometimes multiple stages, if my maths is correct. It's hard to see what benefit for cycling that achieved locally considering its probably going to have been at least a 7 figure investment all told.

In fact I know some of the local councils would invest in the race purely to tick their we did some cycling stuff this year box, and have a day out on expenses, rather than invest in active travel or better infra or training or education.

The Suffolk women on wheels group were shut down due to lack of council funding, their guided group rides and events absolutely achieved more to get women cycling, than the race ever did.

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