Tour of Britain Women Stage 2 stopped by "motor accident" ahead of race as riders wait in cold rain
CyclingThursday, 20 August 2026 at 14:25
Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour of Britain Women has been brought to a halt because of a car crash farther along the route towards Blackpool, leaving the riders waiting on the roadside in cold and persistent rain.
Race commentators reported the reason for the stoppage during the official Tour of Britain broadcast on YouTube. There is currently no indication that the collision involved any of the riders, team vehicles or members of the race convoy.
Details about the accident, including who was involved and whether anyone has been injured, have not been released. Organisers have also not indicated how long the stage will remain neutralised or when racing may be able to resume.
Riders left standing in wet kit
The race was stopped with approximately 75 kilometres of the 110.5-kilometre stage remaining. Katrine Aalerud was alone at the front with an advantage of around 30 seconds over the peloton when both the leader and chasing group were halted.
The neutralisation came in some of the worst conditions of the day. Rain had fallen across much of the opening section in Lancashire, with temperatures reported at approximately 13 degrees Celsius.
That left riders standing in soaked racing kit after completing the principal climbs of Waddington Fell and Nick o’ Pendle. The longer the delay continues, the greater the concern over riders becoming cold before being asked to restart and immediately return to racing speed.
Teams have support vehicles within the race convoy, but the stopped riders do not have the same access to dry clothing, shelter and warm-up equipment that they would have at the start or finish. Even once the road is cleared, the race organisation may therefore need to give the peloton time to prepare before releasing them again.
Aalerud’s advantage should be accounted for when the stage restarts, although the exact procedure has not yet been communicated. The Norwegian had attacked shortly after the field completed the early climbing and was the only rider clear when the incident brought the race to a standstill.
Katrine Aalerud had been solo at the head of the race
Second disruption on difficult day in Lancashire
The stoppage is the second time Stage 2 has been disrupted before reaching Blackpool. The scheduled start in Clitheroe was delayed by a separate blockage elsewhere on the route, pushing back the beginning of racing.
There is nothing to suggest that the earlier blockage was connected to the car crash now preventing the race from continuing.
Before the neutralisation, race leader Lorena Wiebes and the principal sprint contenders had safely negotiated the two major climbs. With the remaining route predominantly flat, the stage had been moving towards an expected bunch finish on Blackpool Promenade.
Wiebes started the day four seconds ahead of Chiara Consonni after winning Stage 1 in Cockermouth, while Aalerud was 2:38 behind in the general classification and did not pose an immediate threat to the green jersey.
The sporting situation is now frozen until the accident scene ahead of the race has been cleared. At the time of publication, the riders remained stopped in the rain and no restart time had been announced.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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