Cycle race to end where Shakespeare began! Stratford-upon-Avon launched as finish location for Aviva Women's Tour

Hannah Peyton from Drops Cycling Team, one of the 3 UK teams taking part in this year's Aviva Women's Tour and based in the West Midlands, was joined by Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, outgoing Stratford-on-Avon District Council Chairman Cllr Mike Gittus and Sara Apsley, Chair of Stratforward Business Improvement District, outside the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to officially launch Stratford-upon-Avon as the finish location.

The cycle race, which is being hosted by Warwickshire County Council and partner the University of Warwick and is sponsored by Aldi, will see the world's leading female cyclists go head-to-head on a challenging 140km ride from the north to the very south of the County.

The Warwickshire stage – stage 2 of the five-stage Aviva Women's Tour 2016 – will start in Atherstone in North Warwickshire at approx. 9.45am on the morning of Thursday 16th June before winding its way down through the county, through the world-class University of Warwick campus and the town centres of Kenilworth and Warwick, before reaching Moreton Morrell at approx. 11.36am.

From there, the elite cyclists will head along Lighthorne Road to reach the outskirts of Kineton at approx. 11.46am before heading on to Gaydon at approx. 11.53am. They will then face their first STRAVA Queen of the Mountains challenge through Burton Dassett Hills County Park, reaching the village of Avon Dassett at approx. 12.04pm.

The Tour peloton will then briefly head out of Warwickshire and into Oxfordshire, passing Edgehill at approx. 12.13pm, with the pro-riders cycling on through the villages of Lower Tysoe, Middle Tysoe and Upper Tysoe where they'll take on their second Chain Reaction Cycle Sprint of the race (the first having taken place in Warwick Street in Kenilworth).

The cyclists will push on to Lower Brailes and Upper Brailes at approx. 12.41pm, before re-entering the county to head through the centre of Shipston-on-Stour, over the River Stour on Mill Street and on to Darlingscott Road, reaching the village at approx. 12.55pm.

The Tour will then briefly dip out of the county again and into Gloucestershire, where the cyclists will go on to encounter their second STRAVA Queen of the Mountains challenge at Ilmington at approx. 1.00pm, with the ascent of Nebsworth Hill on the edge of the Cotswolds – a 2.5 kilometre climb averaging 5%.

The route re-enters Warwickshire, reaching the village of Lower Quinton at approx. 1.26pm, before reaching the cyclists' final destination of Stratford-upon-Avon at approx. 13.39pm, with the riders crossing the finishing line on Bridge Street any time from approx. 13.42pm onwards.

To view the detailed stage route in full and for a list of estimated times that the Tour is expected to pass through Warwickshire locations on 16th June, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/womens-tour.

The Tour is expected to bring a further economic boost to Stratford-on-Avon district and the County as a whole as thousands of spectators and tourists come to watch the event and Warwickshire is showcased globally as an outstanding place to visit, live, work and invest.

Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Councillor Izzi Seccombe, said: “Warwickshire is a brand new venue for the Aviva Women's Tour and I am delighted that it is visiting the county for the first time.

“Once again, Stratford-upon-Avon will take centre stage and the eyes of the world will be on Warwickshire as we showcase the county, not only as a place to visit but also as an excellent location to work and invest. Our hope is that the Tour route will also highlight what Stratford-on-Avon district's many other towns and villages have to offer as well as our beautiful countryside, history and heritage."

Cllr Mike Gittus, outgoing Chairman for Stratford-on-Avon District Council at the launch of the Stratford-upon-Avon race stage, one of his last official engagements says: “Stratford-upon-Avon is looking forward to welcoming the Aviva Women's Cycle Tour on the 16 June. It's fantastic that the cycle tour is coming and it is an honour for our town to be hosting the finish during the 400th Anniversary year commemorating our great playwright William Shakespeare's death. It's always great to see our town vibrant with lots of visitors and we all look forward to supporting the day."

Philippa Rawlinson, Director of Operations and Marketing at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust comments; “It's great to have the Aviva Women's Tour coming here next month, putting the spotlight on to our town once again after the incredible success of the birthday weekend. We hope many of the spectators will take the time to visit our historic houses while in the town."

University of Warwick Vice Chancellor, Professor Stuart Croft said: “Not only will the race visit some of Warwickshire's famous landmarks, it promises to be an inspiring event and we are proud to help showcase women's sport.

“By 2020 the University of Warwick aims to have shaped the most active University campus community in the UK, encouraging everyone to be active every single day. I hope the Aviva Women's Tour will encourage students, staff and residents of Warwickshire and Coventry to take part in sporting and other activities to improve their health and wellbeing."

Jonathan Neale, Joint Managing Director of Corporate Buying at Aldi, said: “We are thrilled to sponsor stage two of the Aviva Women's Tour. We look forward to working closely with Warwickshire County Council and inviting some of the world's finest athletes to Warwickshire, the home of our UK Head Office."

“2016 is set to be a fantastic summer for us, with the Aviva Women's Race and our sponsorship of Team GB on their Road to Rio. We wish the best of luck to all the participants in the race and welcome those cycling fans who may be visiting Warwickshire for the first time."

Councillor Philip Johnson, Chair of Warwickshire County Council's Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee, said: “The Aviva Women's Tour brings with it an excellent opportunity to showcase Warwickshire as a place to visit, live, work and invest. The fact that the Tour route passes through Stratford-on-Avon district and will end in spectacular style in Stratford's town centre will undoubtedly bring a further tourism and economic boost to the County."

The website is packed with information about the Tour, the route through Warwickshire and the plans for Race Day itself. The site will continue to be updated with information as the Tour gets ever closer, so keep checking back.

You can follow the latest Aviva Women's Tour in Warwickshire news by following @ChooseMoveWarks on Twitter, following the #AvivaWT2016 hashtag and liking the ChooseMoveWarks Facebook page.