Organisers have unveiled a stacked line-up for the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, confirming 19 teams for this September’s six-day race across England and Wales. Among them are nine UCI WorldTeams, including UAE Team Emirates – XRG, the world’s current number one-ranked outfit, who will make their debut in Britain’s national tour.
Also debuting this year is Groupama-FDJ, while Lidl-Trek and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale return for the first time in several seasons. It marks the highest number of WorldTeams at the race since 2019, and a strong signal of intent for an event that continues to regain momentum after several turbulent years.
Grand Tour-winning pedigree
Of the 13 teams that raced the Tour de France in July, nine will line up in Woodbridge on 2nd September for the Tour of Britain start. Between them, those squads claimed 16 of the 21 Tour stages this summer.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike, winners of the British tour in 2011, 2017, 2021 and most recently in 2023, headline a formidable list of past champions. They’re joined by Soudal Quick-Step and INEOS Grenadiers, the three most successful teams in the race’s modern history, having amassed 64 stage wins between them.
UAE Team Emirates – XRG brings even more star power to the race, having never previously appeared in the British Tour. The team could include riders who featured prominently in this year’s Tour de France, such as Adam Yates or Juan Ayuso, although full line-ups will be revealed later in August.
British interest and rising squads
British fans will have plenty to cheer with two home teams on the startlist: INEOS Grenadiers and the Great Britain Cycling Team, the latter maintaining their presence in the race every year since 2012.
Also returning is Portuguese Continental squad Anicolor / Tien 21, who made waves in 2024 with aggressive riding and time spent in the points jersey. Their line-up may feature British climber Harrison Wood.
Eight ProTeams complete the line-up, including defending champions Israel – Premier Tech, who won the 2024 edition with Stevie Williams. Swiss outfit Tudor Pro Cycling is among the newcomers and could potentially field 2018 race winner Julian Alaphilippe, depending on final selections.
A revised route with a punchy finale
This year’s Tour features a compact six-stage format, beginning in East Suffolk with two opening stages: Woodbridge to Southwold, followed by a loop beginning and ending in Stowmarket. The race then shifts inland to Milton Keynes and a first-ever visit to Ampthill in Central Bedfordshire, before the queen stage in Warwickshire which ends on the sharp ramps of Burton Dassett.
South Wales hosts the closing weekend, with the penultimate stage featuring a double ascent of The Tumble – one of the country’s toughest climbs – before the final showdown from Newport’s Geraint Thomas National Velodrome to Cardiff city centre on Sunday 7th September.
Managing Director Jonathan Day summed up the sense of anticipation: “This year’s line-up of teams for the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men is one of the best that we have ever seen assembled for the race, and shows the status with which the event is held by UCI WorldTour and Pro Teams. We cannot wait to see these teams in action and racing through communities across England and Wales on our six stages.”
2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men – full team list
UCI WorldTeams:
- Bahrain Victorious
- Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
- Groupama FDJ
- INEOS Grenadiers
- Lidl-Trek
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- UAE Team Emirates – XRG
UCI ProTeams:
- Equipo Kern Pharma
- Israel – Premier Tech
- Lotto
- Q36.5 Pro Cycling
- Team Flanders – Baloise
- Tudor Pro Cycling
- Unibet Tietema Rockets
- Uno-X Mobility
UCI Continental Teams:
- Anicolor / Tien 21
National Teams:
- Great Britain Cycling Team
Main photo credit: SWPix.com
