842 days after Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) won the last edition of the race, the AJ Bell Womenโs Tour returns tomorrow (Monday 4 October).
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Two days after her historic victory in the first-ever womenโs Paris Roubaix Deignan heads the start list as the race gets underway in Oxfordshire with a 147.7-kilometre (91.8-mile) stage between Bicester and Banbury.
In total 16 different nationalities are represented on the start line in the 89-rider field. Britain is the most represented nation with 24 riders in the peloton.
A trio of riders โ Hannah Barnes (Canyon SRAM Racing), Leah Kirchmann (Team DSM), and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) โ will be competing in their seventh edition of the AJ Bell Womenโs Tour, having started and finished all six editions to date.
The youngest rider in the race is Alice Towers (Drops โ Le Col s/b TEMPUR) at 18 years and 358 days, while Trek-Segafredo rider Trixi Worrackโs in one of the final races of her career at 40 years and 6 days.
This yearโs AJ Bell Womenโs Tour features its first-ever individual time trial, taking place in Atherstone on stage three (Wednesday 6 October), with the overall champion set to be crowned in Felixstowe on Saturday (9 October).
Double AJ Bell Womenโs Tour stage winner Sarah Roy (Team BikeExchange) said; โVeloViewer has been great to see what the courses will be like this year. The stages look like it will be really fun and interesting racing across the whole week and the terrain really suits our team.
โI like that thereโs a โshortโ time trial this year as well. Itโll really sort out the GC which can open the racing up a bit differently for non-time trial riders. Itโs also been a special year with the Olympics and the first time weโve had a really popular, strong stage race after the World Championships. I expect to see some great racing though, our peloton is relentless.โ
Liv Racingโs Sofia Bertizzolo comes into the AJ Bell Womenโs Tour fresh having missed Paris โ Roubaix; โI donโt have a lot of experience in the Womenโs Tour. Itโs only the second time Iโve ridden it.
โI have studied the course and expect a very attacking race. The stage profiles donโt seem too difficult, so the attack might be worth it for those who are aiming for the general classification. The time trial could also be decisive for the general classification. I expect a fast race where everyone is sharp. The latter certainly applies to me. The last few weeks I have not ridden any races. But Iโve had good quality training sessions and Iโm fresh and ready to go.โ
The AJ Bell Womenโs Tour is sponsored by AJ Bell, one of the UKโs leading online investment platforms, helping people invest for the long term via ISAs, pensions and general investment accounts.ย It has a rich history of supporting elite level sport including badminton, cricket, rugby, squash and triathlon, and recently sponsored the menโs AJ Bell Tour of Britain in September, won by Wout van Aert.
Riders
The final start list can be downloaded from the website here:ย https://www.womenstour.co.uk/race/riders/
Stages
Stage One | Monday 4 October | Bicester to Banbury | 147.6km |
Stage Two | Tuesday 5 October | Walsall to Walsall | 103km |
Stage Three | Wednesday 6 October | Atherstone individual time trial | 16.6km |
Stage Four | Thursday 7 October | Shoeburyness to Southend-on-Sea | 117.5km |
Stage Five | Friday 8 October | Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea | 95.3km |
Stage Six | Saturday 9 October | Haverhill to Felixstowe | 155km |
Competing teams
- UCI Womenโs World Teams: Alรฉ BTC Ljubljana, Canyon SRAM Racing, FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, Liv Racing, Movistar Team, SD Worx, Team BikeExchange, Team DSM, Trek-Segafredo
- UCI Womenโs Continental Teams: AWOL OโShea, CAMS-Basso Bikes, Drops-Le Col s/b TEMPUR., Parkhotel Valkenburg, Team Coop โ Hitec Products, Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank, Valcar-Travel & Service