British Cycling and Lloyds Bank have taken over the Tour of Britain Women, previously known as the Women’s Tour, for its ninth version, which is able to begin on June 6 in Welshpool and end on June 9 in Manchester.
There was some concern that the race may not occur once more this yr after SweetSpot, the previous organisers, entered liquidation after monetary difficulties. The occasion, which held its inaugural version in 2014, was already cancelled twice in 2020 and final yr, and one other cancellation would have marked a severe loss for girls’s racing in Great Britain.
However, the occasion stays a part of the Women’s WorldTour, and regardless of the preliminary uncertainty and being lowered to 4 days, nonetheless guarantees to supply the peloton and followers alike action-packed racing throughout 4 hilly, puncheur-style phases earlier than the general winner is topped in Manchester.
There are at the moment 88 riders set to start out the Tour of Britain Women, and though the sector measurement is smaller than a number of the different occasions which are a part of the top-tier racing collection, numerous riders stand out as potential contenders for the general classification.
Cyclingnews highlights the riders to look at for the 2024 Tour of Britain Women.
There isn’t any scarcity of potential stage winners and general contenders that may line up as a part of the SD Worx-Protime squad. World Champion Lotte Kopecky would be the out-right favorite for each endeavours.
After taking a break to recuperate following the Spring Classics, Kopecky lately returned to competitors in assist of her teammate Lorena Wiebes on the JourneyLondon Classique.
The unbeatable duo didn’t disappoint, with Koepcky providing her companies as a lead-out extraordinaire for Wiebes, who received all three phases and the general classification.
The pair might swap roles for the Tour of Britain Women’s punchier four-day parcour, the place the hilly terrain and two categorised mountains on every stage might favour Kopecky’s skillset.
Of course, the staff additionally contains Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, Elena Cecchini and Christine Majerus, who’re more likely to be in assist roles, together with dash lead-out Barbara Guarischi, for a well-rounded staff.
Lidl-Trek is just not registered to take part within the Tour of Britain Women, however the occasion has at all times been an essential one for home-favourite Lizzie Deignan.
The former World Champion has received the general classification on two events, in 2026 and 2019, whereas her commerce teammate Elisa Longo Borghini received the final version, held in 2022, by only one second forward of rival Grace Brown.
Deignan began this season decided to show the tide after a winless 2023, and whereas she had a powerful begin to her spring marketing campaign, it got here to an abrupt halt after a crash within the first ten kilometres of the Tour of Flanders. X-rays confirmed Deignan suffered a fracture to the radial head of her proper arm and he or she was compelled to take a month away from racing.
She has slowly re-built her type having raced in assist roles at La Vuelta Femenina and JourneyLondon Classique, and appears to be prepared to guide Team Great Britain for his or her subsequent residence occasion.
It is a powerful squad, too, with Olympic gold medallist and seven-time monitor world champion Elinor Barker, Elynor Bäckstedt, Anna Henderson, Millie Couzens, and Flora Perkins.
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL additionally arrives with a strong line-up that features climber Abi Smith, time trialist Daniek Hengeveld, and dash specialist Charlotte Kool, together with her trusted lead-out staff of Franziska Koch and Rachele Barbieri.
For the general classification, nonetheless, we have chosen British nationwide champion Pfeiffer Georgi due to her all-around means throughout puncheur-style terrain and in each breakaways and reduced-group sprints.
She has had a powerful spring marketing campaign, and whereas missing a victory, completed third at Omloop van het Hageland, fifth at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, third at Paris-Roubaix and fourth at Amstel Gold Race.
Her highest place on this occasion was eighth general within the 2021 version, however this yr’s route might current an ideal alternative for Georgi to safe a podium spot within the GC.
A smaller discipline might provide extra alternatives for these riders who’re simply on the cusp of an enormous victory, and with a hilly route on provide, Henrietta Christie actually suits this invoice.
The New Zealander often ranks inside the highest 10 at main occasions and infrequently works in a assist function, too.
However, on the Tour of Britain Women, Christie can be in a management function at Human Powered Health with a staff able to assist her to what might turn out to be a debut win on the Women’s WorldTour and a prime place within the general standings.
The 22-year-old captured her first podium in European racing at Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar after which lately competed on the Vuelta an Andalucia Women, the place she was inside the highest 10 in three of the 4 phases and sixth place general.
These are outcomes that bode nicely for her targets as she leads the staff on the Tour of Britain Women, which additionally contains residence rider Alice Wood, Barbara Malcotti, Linda Zanetti, Silvia Zanardi, and Marit Raaijmakers.
Letizia Paternoster could be extra acknowledged as a sprinter, however the Italian multi-discipline racer has proven her pedigree in hilly races as nicely.
While she has a serious give attention to the monitor occasions at this summer season’s Paris Olympic Games, she additionally enjoys the hilly Spring Classics and stage races. This spring she completed fourth at Ronde van Drenthe, third at Dwars door Vlaanderen and ninth at Tour of Flanders, which reveals her energy on a number of the sport’s most difficult quick and steep ascents.
She lately returned to competitors at JourneyLondon Classique, and he or she hasn’t appeared to skip a beat, ending second into Colchester, fourth into Maldon and eighth into London, wrapping up the three-day occasion in fourth within the remaining standings behind general winner Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), runner-up Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich Post NL) and third-placed Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
The hillier route provided at Tour of Britain Women might give Paternoster the sting over her sprinter rivals, so look ahead to her to be amongst these in rivalry for the general victory.