After a turbulent spell that saw the 2023 edition cancelled and the race’s future thrown into doubt, the Tour of Britain Women returned in 2024 under new management and a new identity. British Cycling took over the reins, securing the rights to the race and delivering a four-day event that, while modest in length, marked a crucial step in restoring one of the UK’s most important races. Lotte Kopecky dominated that comeback edition, taking two stage wins and sealing the overall classification with apparent ease. There was success too for Lorena Wiebes, who added a sprint stage win to her palmarès, and Ruby Roseman-Gannon, who capitalised on a chaotic final day when SD Worx tried – and failed – to set up a win for Christine Majerus.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.comThe 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women builds on that revived platform and extends its ambition. Now spread across England and Scotland, this year’s four-stage route is the most geographically wide-ranging in race history. Starting in the North York Moors National Park, stage 1 heads from Dalby Forest to Redcar, finishing on the coast after a demanding day across rugged moorland roads. Stage 2 continues through the Tees Valley, culminating in Saltburn-by-the-Sea with two ascents of the brutally steep Saltburn Bank – a short, sharp climb that has featured in back-to-back British national championships.
From there, the race heads north of the border for the first time. Stage 3 sees a start and finish in Kelso, where the peloton will tackle a rolling course through the Scottish Borders. The Eildon Hills and towns like Melrose and Jedburgh provide both climbing and spectacle, while a cobbled finish in the centre of Kelso nods to past men’s editions. The finale takes place in Glasgow, on a fast, technical city-centre circuit that should favour punchy riders and could yet be decisive in the general classification. It’s a varied parcours with no true summit finish, but enough climbing and complexity to shake up the race across four days.
Previous Winners
2024
Lotte Kopecky
2023
Not held
2022
Elisa Longo Borghini
2025 Tour of Britain Women Stage Profiles
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Live TV Coverage
Thursda 5th June to Sunday 8th June 2025
Live on Discovery Plus/Max/TNT Sports across most of Europe
Stage 1: 11:30-14:00
Stage 2: 10:45-14:00
Stage 3: 11:00-15:00
Stage 4: 12:00-14:00
Also available on Youtube, and free-to-air BBC in the UK
All times in BST
Twitter: Updates
Startlist: FirstCycling
Tour of Britain Women 2025 Contenders
Lorena Wiebes headlines SD Worx’s all-in approach for stage wins. The Dutch sprinter has already notched up eight victories in 2025 and is a proven force at this race, with six stage wins and two points classification titles in previous editions. Expect the team to centre its tactics around delivering her cleanly to the line. On flatter or reduced sprint days, she remains the benchmark, with an engine room of teammates committed to ensuring few surprises in the run-in.
For UAE Team ADQ, the mix of talent on show points to a team that can play a role in both the GC and the hillier sprint finales. Lara Gillespie is still chasing her first win of the season, but has landed almost every other top-10 placing available. She’s consistent, smart in the bunch, and will be especially dangerous on hillier sprint stages. Karlijn Swinkels offers GC potential. She was 6th and 8th at Itzulia before illness forced her to withdraw, but if she’s recovered, the terrain here suits her all-round style. Elenora Gasparrini’s victory at GP de Plumelec-Morbihan showed her ability to finish strongly on rolling terrain. If the peloton comes back together after a punchy run-in, she could be the one sprinting. Dominika Wlodarczyk also deserves mention – less headline-grabbing than her teammates, but a useful option if the team needs another card to play.
FDJ-Suez has options to contest the sprints and be present in the GC if the race breaks up. Ally Wollaston started 2025 flying but has cooled slightly, with 8th on stage 1 of Vuelta a Burgos her most recent solid result. If her timing is right, she’ll be in the hunt for podiums again here. Vittoria Guazzini is usually tasked with leading out but has proved more than capable in her own right. She was 6th on a Vuelta stage and 7th at Dwars Door Vlaanderen, not to be underestimated if she gets a clean run. Célia Gery continues to punch above her weight in non-WWT races and could surprise again. Her recent 4th at Pointe du Raz and 7th at GP de Plumelec-Morbihan show she’s sharp, especially on hilly one-day-type stages like we’ll see in this race.
Lidl-Trek brings a British focus, but it’s a line-up with serious depth. Elisa Balsamo remains one of the elite sprinters in the peloton and has added four wins to her 2025 tally already. If the bunch stays together, she’ll be the one everyone is watching. Alongside her, Anna Henderson will be chasing GC again after finishing 2nd overall last year. She’s had a steady run through the spring – top-10s at Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold, plus 4th on stage 2 of the Vuelta – all pointing to form building at the right time. This terrain plays well to her strengths, especially with strong team support to manage the key moments.
Returning to the race where she claimed a stage win in 2024, Ruby Roseman-Gannon is a key figure for Liv AlUla Jayco. While she hasn’t hit the same heights yet in 2025, her ability to read fast finishes and deliver in reduced group sprints makes her a top contender again. Letizia Paternoster also brings strong recent form, with a 2nd place on Stage 2 of the Vuelta and 7th the following day. She has the speed to contest stages, but will need positioning to be spot on. Quinty Ton could be the team’s dark horse for GC. She was 10th on Stage 2 and 15th on Stage 1 at Itzulia, a good return for a rider who thrives on lumpy terrain. The profile of the British stages should allow her to stay in contention and potentially aim for a top-10 overall.
Over at Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, Chiara Consonni headlines the sprinting ambitions. The Italian has had a solid 2025 so far, and with the right lead-out, she remains one of the fastest in a pure sprint. Maike van der Duin is likely to take on that lead-out role – her experience and finishing speed make her well suited to shepherding Consonni through chaotic finales. There’s also an outside chance that Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig targets the GC, though she’ll need to turn around what has been a poor run of form this season. With no time trial to worry about, her attacking instinct and punch on short climbs could still bring a result if she’s firing again. Zoe Backstedt posted her best result of the year with 6th in the Vuelta a Burgos time trial, but the absence of a TT here might limit her chances unless she gets in a strong move on a rolling day.
EF Education-Oatly arrives with a two-pronged threat in the form of Kristen Faulkner and Letizia Borghesi. Faulkner has been earmarked as the team’s GC option here. Her 2024 Vuelta Femenina stage win showed her climbing and TT credentials, though the latter won’t come into play at this year’s edition. She’s been steady in 2025 without a major standout ride, but the punchy terrain in Britain could favour her ability to surge late in reduced groups. Borghesi, on the other hand, lit up the spring campaign with consistently aggressive racing and capped it off with 3rd on Stage 2 at the Vuelta. That was her best result in recent weeks, but it serves as a reminder that she remains dangerous in the right kind of move, particularly on stages that finish from a thinned-out bunch.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike brings a youthful squad packed with potential. Martina Fidanza has been in flying form at select races, taking wins at both the Trofee Maarten Wynants and Festival Elsy Jacobs à Luxembourg. She’s likely to be their sprint leader here. Imogen Wolff continues to build experience at this level and could be used to cover moves or support the lead-out train. Nienke Veenhoven has put together a strong string of results with 2nd at Omloop der Kempen and 3rd at Trofee Maarten Wynants. She has the power and positioning for tough sprint finishes and may well be allowed a free run if the opportunity arises.
Photo Credit: GettyBack on the start line for the first time since winning the Navarra Elite Classics, Cat Ferguson lines up for Movistar as a rider with a growing reputation and the results to back it up. That solo victory was her third pro win, adding to last year’s triumphs at Binche-Chimay-Binche and the AG Tour de la Semois, but she’s still waiting on that first WorldTour victory. Britain’s biggest race provides a perfect platform, and she’ll be motivated racing on home roads once again. Expect her to ride selectively, targeting the hillier days if Movistar opt to protect her for GC.
Uno-X Mobility should be in the mix for stage results thanks to Linda Zanetti and Maria Giulia Confalonieri. Zanetti had a bright start to the season but has been quieter of late. Her 3rd on Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España was a reminder of what she’s capable of when the finish suits, and a return to that form could bring her back into contention. Confalonieri, by contrast, has been consistently solid through the spring. With 2nd at Festival Elsy Jacobs à Garnich, 4th in the Luxembourg round of that race, and 6th at Paris-Roubaix, she has the versatility and power to be competitive on all but the steepest terrain.
Making her return after her landmark victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Kim Le Court adds depth and maybe even GC potential to AG Insurance-Soudal’s line-up. This will be her first race since that win, so form is a question mark – but if she picks up where she left off, she’ll be one of the strongest riders in the field on lumpy terrain. Gladys Verhulst-Wild is another card to play. She’s raced aggressively this spring and should be a factor in the punchier stages, especially if Le Court is marking GC threats. With options for sprints and climbs, AG Insurance-Soudal has genuine flexibility.
As always, the pressure is on Charlotte Kool to deliver at Picnic PostNL. Her 2025 season remains winless so far – a surprising stat for a rider with her top-end speed but it’s not been plain sailing – and the Tour of Britain could be a chance to put that right. She’ll need things to come back together on the flatter stages, and without strong lead-out support, she may have to freelance her positioning. For the hillier stages, Josie Nelson and Mara Roldán could get the nod. Both are punchy and resilient enough to stay in contention if the race breaks up, and this race offers a good chance to test themselves at WorldTour level.
Form is rarely clearer than it has been for Sarah van Dam. Ceratizit Pro Cycling’s Canadian starlet has been stringing together results consistently – 3rd overall at Itzulia, with stage results of 2nd, 4th and 5th, and eight consecutive top-10s across recent races before Durango-Durango finally broke the streak. The question now is whether she can carry that momentum into a WorldTour race with more depth. There’s a chance for sprint success too through Mylene de Zoete, who remains one of the more reliable finishers in reduced bunches. A wildcard pick might be Kristýna Burlová, who’s shown flashes of promise and could be unleashed on days where a breakaway gets some leash.
The Great Britain National Team brings a punchy, in-form duo in April Tacey and Millie Couzens. Tacey is fresh off a win at Omloop der Kempen, her first pro victory since 2020, and comes in confident. She’ll like the up-and-down terrain on several stages and can sprint well from a small group. Couzens has arguably the better WorldTour pedigree right now – 2nd on Stage 1 of Itzulia and 8th overall at Vuelta a Burgos were both impressive performances, and she’s clearly capable of hanging with strong fields. If she’s given the freedom to ride her own race, she could end up fighting for GC in what’s shaping up to be an open edition.
Tour of Britain Women 2025 Outsiders
Lucy Lee is expected to be the likely sprint finisher for DAS-Hutchinson. She comes in off a quietly solid performance at the Tour de Feminin, where she was 12th in the overall GC, and has already collected a pair of top-25 finishes in Spanish UCI races earlier this season. Robyn Clay, who took a stage win in Czechia, might be a threat on a reduced finish if she can find the right wheel, while Tiffany Keep adds climbing depth and potential to animate the more selective stages, though she’s unlikely to headline the team.
Lauren Dickson and Kate Richardson are both in strong form for Handsling Alba Development. Dickson’s run through May has been outstanding – 9th overall at the Tour de Feminin, a win at Lincoln GP, and a podium at Pointe du Raz, showing she can deliver across multiple terrain types. She was also impressive on Stage 1 in Norway this week, taking 2nd place and then finishing 3rd in GC as well. Richardson, fresh off her overall victory in Czechia, was consistently at the front there without needing a stage win to seal the GC. Both will be eager to test themselves at WorldTour level again and could be dark horses for a GC placing if the race splits early.
Lucy Harris is likely to go looking for opportunities at Smurfit Westrock. Her win at the CiCLE Classic earlier this season marked a breakthrough on home roads, and this race presents a step up in opposition. She thrives in tough conditions and aggressive racing scenarios, so if a breakaway is allowed some leash, she’s a rider who could benefit. A strong showing here would underline her potential at this level.
Top 3 Prediction
⦿ Lorena Wiebes
⦿ Elisa Balsamo
⦿ Eleonora Gasparrini
