The short answer: The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men runs from September 2 to 6 over five stages. Lewis Askey won Stage 1 in Lincoln. The current official stage pages total 878.7km and 8,813m of elevation. In the UK, stages 1-4 are live on ITV4 and ITVX, while Stage 5 is live on ITVX; all five stages are also free on the Tour of Britain YouTube channel.
Britain’s leading men’s stage race opened in Lincoln on Wednesday, where Lewis Askey won on the Michaelgate finishing circuit. Cyclingnews reported that Askey finished two seconds ahead of Filippo Ganna, with Tim Wellens third.
The race now moves to Stage 2 from Boston to Skegness. The current British Cycling stage pages contain revised distances and elevation figures that differ from the earlier route announcement used in Factelle’s first draft.
Stage 1 result: Cyclingnews race report
Updated Tour of Britain 2026 route
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Elevation |
| 1 | Sept. 2 | Lincoln to Lincoln | 182.5km | 1,393m |
| 2 | Sept. 3 | Boston to Skegness | 180.2km | 873m |
| 3 | Sept. 4 | Hull to Beverley | 194.1km | 1,612m |
| 4 | Sept. 5 | Helmsley to Leyburn | 165.8km | 2,699m |
| 5 | Sept. 6 | Earlston to Earlston | 156.1km | 2,236m |
Based on the current official stage pages, the five stages add up to 878.7km and 8,813m of elevation. Those figures replace the earlier 910.3km route total that appeared in the original draft.
Official stage pages: Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5
Stage 1: Askey takes the first leader’s jersey
The Lincoln opener was no longer a preview by publication time. Askey attacked on the cobbled Michaelgate climb and held off Ganna to win the stage. Wellens completed the podium, giving the general classification an immediate shape before the flatter-looking second day.
That result also confirms why the city circuit mattered. The repeated cobbled climb created enough separation for a late attack rather than a conventional bunch sprint.
Stage 4 remains the biggest climbing test
The revised Helmsley-to-Leyburn stage is 165.8km with 2,699m of elevation. British Cycling describes it as one of the toughest and potentially most decisive stages of the race as it crosses the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales.
Greenhow Bank, Kidstones, Greets Moss and Grinton Moor remain the key named climbs. The combination of repeated ascents and a short five-stage race gives contenders limited time to recover from a bad day.
Riders to watch
The final pre-race start-list announcement said 108 riders from 18 teams were set to compete. Olav Kooij and Tim Merlier headline the sprint names, while Filippo Ganna and Tim Wellens bring experience for harder terrain.
NSN Cycling started with Lewis Askey and Ethan Vernon among its British riders, while the Great Britain team is led by Commonwealth Games champion Matt Bostock. Ben Wiggins is also in the national squad, alongside Ollie Wood, Elliot Rowe, Jacob Bush and William Smith.
Askey’s Stage 1 win immediately moved him from rider-to-watch status to race leader, while Ganna and Wellens both finished close enough to keep the general classification tight.
Final start-list announcement: British Cycling-supplied release
How to watch Tour of Britain 2026 live
The official 2026 broadcast plan is more specific than the first Factelle draft. In the UK, live coverage of stages 1-4 is on ITV4 and ITVX. The final stage on Sunday is live on ITVX rather than ITV4. Daily highlights are available on ITV4 and ITVX.
All five men’s stages are also available free on the Lloyds Tour of Britain YouTube channel. TNT Sports and HBO Max carry every stage live, while Warner Bros. Discovery distributes the race across mainland Europe through Eurosport and HBO Max, excluding France.
| Coverage | Stages 1-4 | Stage 5 |
| ITV4 | Live | Highlights only |
| ITVX | Live | Live |
| Tour of Britain YouTube | Live, free | Live, free |
| TNT Sports / HBO Max | Live | Live |
Official broadcast guide: British Cycling / ITV coverage announcement
What happens next
Stage 2 runs from Boston to Skegness on Thursday, followed by Hull to Beverley on Friday. The race then reaches its hardest climbing day from Helmsley to Leyburn before Sunday’s finale in Earlston in the Scottish Borders.
Because this is a live race, results, withdrawals and start-list changes should be checked again immediately before publication. Factelle should update the timestamp and the Stage 2 status if the race has started or finished by the time the article goes live.
The bottom line
The Tour of Britain is already a live story rather than a pre-race preview. Askey leads after winning the Lincoln opener, the official stage pages now show a shorter 878.7km route, and the broadcast plan changes for the Sunday finale. For readers, the most useful version of this article is the one that keeps those route figures, race status and viewing details current each day.
Updated: September 10, 2026
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