"The upcoming Tour of Britain promises a massive, tense, and chaotic event for British Continental teams as they prepare to face the WorldTour challenge."
Ready to Witness the Thrilling Tour of Britain Women?
Brace yourselves as Britain's domestic powerhouses get geared up to take on the big-budget crews of the WorldTour in this year's edition of the Tour of Britain Women!
Five outstanding Continental teams – CJ O'Shea Racing, DAS-Hutchinson, Handsling Alba Development Road Team, Hess, and Smurfit Westrock – are all set to participate in the highly anticipated four-day race. The action kicks off today in Dalby Forest and culminates in Glasgow on Sunday.
For our homegrown teams, the event is a priceless opportunity to shine a spotlight on their sponsors and gather invaluable experience, competing against some of the best riders globally.
Smurfit athlete Lucy Harris, a victorious winner of the CiCLE Classic in March, explains the overwhelming yet exhilarating feelings she experiences about the upcoming Tour of Britain. Balancing her racing career with a full-time job as a meteorological data scientist, Harris returned to the race this year after making her debut in 2024. Harris shared her heart-warming encounter with fellow rider Lizzie Deignan the previous occasion: "It was insane! I remember Lizzie Deignan was up there as the Queen of the Mountains, and she looked at me and said well done. I nearly burst into tears."
Lauren Dickson, a budding talent from Alba, is thrilled to mark her WorldTour event debut in the Tour of Britain – only her third stage race ever. Aspirations run high as the 25-year-old competing eyed breakaways to test herself against the tough competition from the WorldTour teams. "If you want to be the best, then you have to be able to compete with the best. You have to believe in yourself but also learn from it. It'll be a massive learning experience for everyone", Dickson declares.
The Tour of Britain holds immense importance for Alba, a squad with a Scottish core, eager to perform admirably on home roads. After recently clinching their first international UCI race title at the Tour de Feminin in the Czech Republic, the Tour of Britain remains the high point of their season.
Alba's manager, Bob Lyons, expresses the team’s anticipation: "We're looking to be seen in the race. It's tough down here getting budget, and we need exposure. We're trying to get as much exposure as we can, and that's a great opportunity for us in Scotland [on stages three and four]. It's good for sponsors."
The sentiment is echoed by DAS-Hutchinson's Directeur Sportif, Olly Moors, whose team has already tasted the charming tropes of the Tour of Flanders and the Amstel Gold Race. "At Flanders, we were in the breakaway for over 100km, and the engagement we got off that was huge. Our sponsors absolutely loved that", Moors gushes.
Competing against WorldTour teams often requires stepping up your game. The average WorldTour squad operates on a budget at least 30 times larger than DAS-Hutchinson's. But Moors stresses the importance of balancing aspiration with reality: "It's about finding that perfect sweet spot between the two. We would ambitiously love to have a rider perform well. I think really our best chances are a stage result and then looking at early breakaways, getting ahead of the race." As for the general classification, Moors adds, placing a rider within the top 30 would be an excellent result.
The 2025 Tour of Britain Women commences today, with free coverage available on BBC. So don't miss out on the breath-taking drama as British, Continental, and WorldTour teams push their limits and strive for victory!
Race Preview: 2025 Tour of Britain Women
- World Record Field: 19 teams and 114 riders will be participating this year, making it the most significant field in the race's history.
- Top Performers: British riders like Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) and Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek) have demonstrated strong performances in the past. Cat Ferguson (Movistar Team) recently showcased her talent by winning both the points classification and the best young rider jersey in the 2025 Tour of Britain Women.
- International Experience: Teams like AG Insurance Soudal, with riders like Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar, will bring extensive international experience to the competition. Pienaar's recent victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège highlights the impressive talent of riders from Continental teams.
- Experienced WorldTour Squads: Insightful teams like Lidl-Trek, EF Education – Oatly, and Team SDWorx – Protime are well-versed in major races, boasting experienced riders, including Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Lorena Wiebes (Team SDWorx – Protime), who is the reigning European champion.
Stay tuned for all the exhilarating action as the Tour of Britain Women kicks off today!
Gather round, sports enthusiasts! The Tour of Britain Women, a spectacle not to be missed, is underway with a record-breaking field of 19 teams and 114 riders participating this year. With top British performers like Lizzie Deignan and Anna Henderson, along with international talents such as Cat Ferguson and Kimberley Pienaar, this four-day race is set to deliver an electrifying battle between domestic powerhouses, Continental teams, and experienced WorldTour squads. From the challenging terrain of Dalby Forest to the inspiring finale in Glasgow, sports fans worldwide are ready to witness the thrilling tour that lies ahead.
