This stage will mark the first time that Colchester has welcomed the Women’s Tour, although the town’s notable links to cycling include hosting a Tour of Britain stage finish (2010) and four rounds of the Tour Series. In a two-year agreement with race organisers SweetSpot, Colchester will also host the start of Grand Départ of next year’s race in June 2022.

Meanwhile, Clacton will host its third stage finish in Women’s Tour history this year. Marianne Vos, the Women’s Tour first-ever champion, won along the seaside resort’s promenade during the inaugural 2014 event, before Belgian Jolien D’hoore triumphed there the following year.