Women’s Tour 2022 cycling starts in Essex and Suffolk

The Women’s Tour 2022 cycle race has got under way as it navigated its way through Essex and Suffolk for its opening stage.

Dozens of the world’s top female riders set off from Colchester’s Northern Gateway Sports Park.

They finished on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds via Brantham, Hadleigh, Needham Market and Stowmarket.

The opening 142.1km stage was the first of six across the country and it was won by French rider Clara Copponi.

The stage had to be stopped temporarily at about 14:20 BST, with about 35km to go, to allow the medical services to attend an incident ahead of the race route.

Stage Two of this year’s race takes place on Tuesday and starts and finishes in Harlow, taking in Great Dunmow, Chipping Ongar and Epping.

Last year, Essex hosted the penultimate stage of what is considered to be Britain’s biggest and longest-running international women’s cycling stage race.

The final leg was then held in Suffolk, where world champion Elisa Balsamo crossed the finish line first in Felixstowe.

The opening stage of this year’s event follows the four-day bank holiday weekend in the UK to celebrate Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

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