Top women's cycle race will visit Daventry this year

The 2016 Aviva Women's Tour will pass through Daventry for the first time this year.
The overview for Stage Five of the 2016 Aviva Women's TourThe overview for Stage Five of the 2016 Aviva Women's Tour
The overview for Stage Five of the 2016 Aviva Women's Tour

The tour’s fifth and final stage will race through Northamptonshire, visiting parts of the county it has not reached before.

The Women’s Tour runs from Wednesday June 15 to Sunday June 19 this year.

The five-day international women’s cycling event attracts some of the world’s best female riders.

Stage One will run from Suffolk to Norfolk, Two will go from Atherstone to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Three will go through the peak district, and Four from Nottingham to Stoke-On-Trent.

Stage Five runs from Northampton to end in Kettering.

Precise route detailse are yet to be announced, but the overview shows the cyclists will leave Northampton heading south before swinging to the west, then head towards Towcester, before coming north through the villages to Daventry, and then heading east through the district to Kettering.

Last year’s race saw 67,500 people line the streets to cheer on the cyclists and saw a £1 million boost to the local economy.

Northamptonshire County Council will now work with event organisers SweetSpot to finalise the details for the route through the county.

Race director Mick Bennett said: “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 areas of Northamptonshire that we’ve haven’t visited with the previous two editions.”

Northamptonshire rider Hannah Barnes, who will compete as part of Canyon SRAM Racing team, said: “I travel all over the world racing, so to be able to race along roads I train on is a privilege.

“All my friends and family can come and watch, which is a real treat.”