British Biking and Lloyds Financial institution have taken over the Tour of Britain Ladies, previously referred to as the Ladies’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 critical loss for girls’s racing in Nice Britain.
Nevertheless, the occasion stays a part of the Ladies’s WorldTour, and regardless of the preliminary uncertainty and being diminished to 4 days, nonetheless guarantees to supply the peloton and followers alike action-packed racing throughout 4 hilly, puncheur-style levels earlier than the general winner is topped in Manchester.
There are presently 88 riders set to start out the Tour of Britain Ladies, and though the sector dimension is smaller than a number of the different occasions which might be a part of the top-tier racing sequence, a variety of riders stand out as potential contenders for the general classification.
Cyclingnews highlights the riders to look at for the 2024 Tour of Britain Ladies.
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 get better following the Spring Classics, Kopecky just lately returned to competitors in help of her teammate Lorena Wiebes on the RideLondon Classique.
The unbeatable duo didn’t disappoint, with Koepcky providing her providers as a lead-out extraordinaire for Wiebes, who received all three levels and the general classification.
The pair may swap roles for the Tour of Britain Ladies’s punchier four-day parcour, the place the hilly terrain and two categorised mountains on every stage may favour Kopecky’s skillset.
In fact, the workforce additionally consists of Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, Elena Cecchini and Christine Majerus, who’re prone to be in help roles, together with dash lead-out Barbara Guarischi, for a well-rounded workforce.
Lidl-Trek shouldn’t be registered to take part within the Tour of Britain Ladies, however the occasion has all the time been an essential one for home-favourite Lizzie Deignan.
The previous 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 kind having raced in help roles at La Vuelta Femenina and RideLondon Classique, and appears to be prepared to guide Group Nice Britain for his or her subsequent house occasion.
It’s a robust 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's British rider Pfeiffer Georgi celebrates on the podium after placing third in the fourth edition of the women's Paris-Roubaix one-day classic cycling race, 148,5km between Denain and Roubaix, on April 6, 2024. (Photo by Francois LO PRESTI / AFP) / âThe erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Francois LO PRESTI has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [placing third] instead of [placing second]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.â](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aV9nGBsh48wnDzjKww4SAa-1200-80.jpg.webp)
Group dsm-firmenich PostNL additionally arrives with a strong line-up that features climber Abi Smith, time trialist Daniek Hengeveld, and dash specialist Charlotte Kool, along with her trusted lead-out workforce 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 may current an ideal alternative for Georgi to safe a podium spot within the GC.
A smaller subject may supply extra alternatives for these riders who’re simply on the cusp of an enormous victory, and with a hilly route on supply, Henrietta Christie actually suits this invoice.
The New Zealander continuously ranks inside the highest 10 at main occasions and sometimes works in a help function, too.
Nevertheless, on the Tour of Britain Ladies, Christie will probably be in a management function at Human Powered Well being with a workforce able to help her to what may grow to be a debut win on the Ladies’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 just lately competed on the Vuelta an Andalucia Ladies, the place she was inside the highest 10 in three of the 4 levels and sixth place general.
These are outcomes that bode effectively for her targets as she leads the workforce on the Tour of Britain Ladies, which additionally consists of house rider Alice Wooden, 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 effectively.
Whereas she has a significant deal with the monitor occasions at this summer season’s Paris Olympic Video 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 exhibits her energy on a number of the sport’s most difficult quick and steep ascents.
She just lately returned to competitors at RideLondon 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 Publish NL) and third-placed Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
The hillier route supplied at Tour of Britain Ladies may give Paternoster the sting over her sprinter rivals, so look ahead to her to be amongst these in competition for the general victory.
