International cycling race which was set to finish in Leamington has been cancelled

The Birmingham 2022 Women's Cycling Road Race in Warwick last summer.

A world-class cycling race which was due to take place in Leamington this summer has been cancelled.

The town was due to be the finishing point of Stage one of The Women’s Tour on Wednesday June 7 with more than 100 of the world’s best female riders having set off from Stratford earlier in the day.

But on the event’s website an announcement has been made that the tour will not take place this year.

The announcement reads: “The Women’s Tour, the award-winning and trailblazing cycle race, will take a one-year hiatus in 2023.

“Owing to a combination of increased running costs – approximately 20 per cent 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.

“The decision has been taken now following a three-week renewed appeal for funding, which included an incredibly popular crowdfunding scheme that was enthusiastically supported by over 500 race fans.

"The Women’s Tour thanks everybody who donated for their unwavering loyalty, as well as all the messages of goodwill that have been sent.

"A refunds process, overseen by the GoFundMe platform, has begun.

“This outcome is incredibly disappointing for the stakeholders set to host this year’s race, who have shown great support and understanding throughout this process.

"We will continue to work with them to explore opportunities for hosting world-class cycling events in the near future.”

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Leamington has been the scene of victories for Australians Chloe Hosking and Sarah Roy in the 2017 and 2018 editions of the race respectively while Warwickshire is now the second most visited county in the history of the tour.

The Women’s Tour’s two previous stage finishes in Leamington were watched by more than 20,000 spectators and generated a boost of more than £750,000 to the town’s economy.