THE county council’s cabinet gave its support to a women’s cycle race that will be held in Oxfordshire every summer over the next three years.

The OVO Energy Women’s Tour third stage will start in Henley and end at Blenheim Palace on June 12.

The race’s organisers have already committed to using Oxfordshire for race stages in 2020 and 2021.

The county council has assigned £30,000 for this year's race, with the ones until 2021 likely to cost a similar amount.

The authority said it might need to resurface some of the roads along the race route – but that should not cost more than £10,000.

The 145.1km race will pass through Watlington, Christmas Common, Didcot, Wantage and Faringdon.

Riders will also pass through Burford and Charlbury before finishing the day’s racing in Woodstock.

All six Oxfordshire councils have agreed to contribute £30,000 towards the race.

Although the race will not travel through Cherwell district or Oxford, those councils seem to have paid money with the expectation the race will run through their districts over forthcoming years.

All Oxfordshire council leaders agreed on March 4 that the race should be supported and that they should provide some financial contribution.

It will start in Beccles, Suffolk and will end in Pembrey Country Park, Carmarthenshire, Wales.