The organizers of the Tour of Britain (2.HC) and Women's Tour (Women's World Tour) have announced that OVO Energy has ended its title sponsorship of the event and is looking for a new leading funder. Sweet Spot and British Cycling have committed to run the event for another 10 years and are looking for a title brand that aligns with their long-term plans.

"This year marks a milestone in our history: 15 years since the return of the Tour of Britain, the 10th anniversary of the Tour Series, and the expansion of the Women's Tour into its fifth year. Hugh Roberts, CEO of Sweet Spot, said, "All three events represent the British cycling calendar and will undoubtedly continue to do so for the next decade as we work with our partners, stakeholders, teams, riders and fans to inspire the next generation.

"We thank OVO Energy for their support of the event and look forward to 2020 and beyond as we begin a new chapter in the already illustrious history of the Tour of Britain, Women's Tour and Tour Series."

OVO Energy served as the Tour of Britain's stage sponsor for the 2016 event and was the race's title sponsor in 2017. This major financial sponsor covers the Tour of Britain, the Women's Tour, and the Tour Series through the end of this year.

The current Tour of Britain began in 2004 and became a 2.HC-sanctioned event from 2014 to this year. Recent overall winners include Dylan van Baarle (2014), Edvald Boasson Hagen (2015), Steve Cummings (2016), Lars Boom (2017), and Julien Alaphilippe (2018). This year, Mathieu van der Pol won in September.

The Women's Tour debuted as a 2.1 event in 2014, but quickly rose to the top level of professional bicycle racing when it joined the Women's World Tour in 2016. The following year, when OVO Energy became the title sponsor, the event became one of the most attractive races in the series; in 2018, OVO Energy brought the women's Tour prize purse on par with the Tour of Britain; in 2019, the peloton competed for €97,880. The race was also expanded to six stages.

Past winners of the Women's Tour include Marianne Vos (2014), Lisa Brennauer (2015), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (2017), Colin Rivera (2018), and Lizzie Deignan (2016, 2019).

"We are proud to contribute through our sponsorship. Fans across the country were able to see the world's best riders compete in a familiar setting and inspire a whole new generation to get on bikes," said Sarah Booth, Brand and Communications Director at OVO Energy.

." Our most meaningful legacy is that by increasing the Women's Tour prize fund, we are taking a step toward gender equality in cycling and helping to provide an equal platform on the global cycling stage."

The OVO Energy Women's Tour was the 13th stop on this year's Women's World Tour. The series concluded in October with the Tour of Guangxi, where Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) won the overall series title.

The UCI announced the 2020 Women's World Tour earlier this year, but it was marked by the absence of Emmacmen Vila, who was scheduled for May. Organizers of the long-running Spanish stage race cited "economic problems and fatigue of the organizers" as reasons for the cancellation of next year's event.

Another blow to the 2020 Women's World Tour calendar was AEG's announcement that the Tour of California men's and women's races will be suspended next year. This means that the May slot on the Women's World Tour will be without a stage race.

In addition, the Prudential RideLondon Classic was dropped from the Women's World Tour due to a calendar conflict with the Ladies Tour of Norway.

The OVO Energy Women's Tour is scheduled for June 8-13, while the 2.Pro Men's Tour is expected to take place September 6-13.