Quotes from Aviva Women’s Tour, Race Director Mick Bennett
“We are delighted to present the route for the 2016 Aviva Women’s Tour with a
significantly tougher parcours than the previous editions, as requested by the team’s
following last year, allowing us to take the race to some new areas. The interest from
venues around the country to host the race has been huge, allowing us to put together an
attractive route that will make not only for excellent racing, but also big crowds from the
major towns and cities on, or close to the route.
“When we created the Women’s Tour in 2014 we said that our aim was for the event to be
the world’s best women’s race within three years and it is our firm belief that being a part
of the new UCI Women’s WorldTour sees us well on course to do so.”
On Stage One…
“We are pleased to be able to return to Suffolk, a county which has played a key role in the
development of the Aviva Women’s Tour, but also to visit Norfolk for the first time with the
race. The start in Southwold will also allow us to work with Adnams, our long term
partners for both the Aviva Women’s Tour and Tour of Britain, and to bring the race to their
home town, while the finish in Norwich will be hugely important for our title sponsors Aviva
as one of their key locations.
“The opening stage should be one for the sprinters with a largely flat route skirting the
Broads before the finish in Norwich city centre.”
On Stage Two…
“Stage Two will be a first for SweetSpot as an organisation as it takes place entirely within
Warwickshire, a county we have never visited before. The stage takes place through
some beautiful Warwickshire scenery with several testing climbs in the south of the county
in the final third of the stage, before what we hope will be a very popular finish in the
centre of Stratford-upon-Avon.
“Many of the roads used are familiar to me from my training rides when a professional, so
we know how good the area is for cycling, while we hope the proximity to the cities of
Birmingham and Coventry will bring fans out to the roadside in large numbers.”
On Stage Three…
“We are proud that Derbyshire County Council have decided to host the Aviva Women’s
Tour as a part of their ambition to be the most connected cycling county. Stage Three will
take the race through the heart of the Peak District National Park, with 2,000-metres of
climbing, making it one of the toughest of this year’s race and a key day for riders with the
ambition of winning the Aviva Yellow Jersey.”
On Stage Four…
“Stage Four will connect two cities which both have a rich cycling heritage and have never
before hosted the Aviva Women’s Tour. Nottingham has become a centre hosting major
women’s sporting events, making it a logical choice to host the Aviva Women’s Tour, while
Stoke-on-Trent this year celebrates being the UK’s European City of Sport, with the stage
finish being one of their major events for the year.
“While the opening half of this stage hugs the Derwent and Trent Valley’s, the latter half
takes in the climbs of the Staffordshire Moorlands, which have time-and-time again proved
a stern test in stages of the men’s Tour of Britain.”
On Stage Five…
“Having hosted the first ever stage of the Aviva Women’s Tour in 2014, it is fitting that
Northamptonshire will now have the chance to host the final stage of this year’s race. The
final day will be an undulating stage taking in some new climbs and areas of
Northamptonshire that we haven’t visited with the previous two editions.
“It is great news that fans will also have the chance to ride some of the route in the official
sportive of the Aviva Women’s Tour, just one month after the world’s best have raced on
those very roads.”