Kim Le Court claimed the opening stage of the 2025 Tour of Britain Women with a long-range attack and sprint finish that saw her hold off Kristen Faulkner in a two-up break to the line. The Mauritian champion now leads the general, points, and mountains classifications after a dominant display in the North York Moors.
The 81.5km stage from Dalby Forest to Redcar packed plenty of action into its short distance. Early rainfall made for a cautious start, and although the pace was high, the peloton stayed largely intact across the opening kilometres. The first categorised climb, Blakey Ridge, was tackled without any major moves, though Uno-X Mobility’s Anouska Koster surged to the top first, just ahead of Dominika Wlodarczyk.
The race changed dramatically on Langburn’s Bank, a 2.3km climb averaging 5.6%. With 37km remaining, Le Court launched a powerful attack. Anna Henderson responded, and Kristen Faulkner bridged shortly after, creating a trio off the front. That alliance didn’t last long – Le Court’s pace was too high for Henderson, who dropped back midway up the climb.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.comOver the summit, Le Court had five seconds on Faulkner, and 27 seconds on what remained of the peloton. Faulkner rejoined her on the descent, and the two began an extended stint off the front, working well together as the race flattened out.
Behind, the peloton had fractured into groups. FDJ-Suez and Movistar assumed responsibility for the chase, with riders like Juliette Labous, Elise Chabbey and Cat Ferguson among those in the 20-strong chase group. However, they were unable to make significant inroads on the front duo’s lead, which hovered between 20 and 30 seconds for much of the final 25km.
Faulkner nearly derailed the escape with a misjudged corner at around 15km to go, but although she briefly lost contact and appeared to clip a traffic island, Le Court eased up to allow her back on, recognising that the break’s chances of survival depended on cooperation.
At the intermediate sprint in Newton-under-Roseberry, Le Court took maximum points and three bonus seconds, with Faulkner collecting two more. Karlijn Swinkels swept up the remaining time bonus from the bunch.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.comAs the race approached Redcar and the wind picked up along the coast, the chasers closed the gap to 18 seconds with 1km to go. But it was too little, too late. Le Court led into the final 300 metres and launched her sprint at 150m, holding off Faulkner to secure the stage win. The reduced bunch came in five seconds later, with Lorena Wiebes taking third place ahead of a strong sprint by Nienke Veenhoven and Cat Ferguson.
Le Court, who last raced the British tour ten years ago as a teenager, reflected on the significance of the win. She explained that the team had planned to make their move on Langburn’s Bank and that it unfolded exactly as intended. “We came into this stage with a plan and executed it perfectly,” she said. “I attacked at kilometre 44, had Kristen come with me, and we managed to hold off the chasers. Both of us were strong engines. It was pretty close at the finish, but I am delighted I could pull it off.”
She added that the next day’s profile suited her even more and that she hoped to recover well overnight. “Tomorrow is a stage that suits me a bit more. I’m going into it with a bit more confidence. Hopefully I’ll have a good night’s sleep.”
Faulkner, who came close to her first win of the season, had no answer to Le Court’s power in the final sprint. Still, her ride earned her second overall and a time buffer over the rest of the GC contenders. Meanwhile, third-placed Wiebes acknowledged after the stage that the duo were simply too strong to bring back.
Cat Ferguson was the highest-finishing British rider, taking fifth and the white jersey as best young rider. She said she had enjoyed the day and was surprised by how the stage played out. “It was really fun out there,” she said. “It was definitely one of my favourite races this year. I thought it would definitely come down to a sprint, so for the two to come away was a surprise. They were too strong and credits to them for staying away.”
Le Court’s haul of bonuses and classification points means she will wear the green jersey on stage 2, as well as holding the red points jersey and blue QOM jersey. A decade after finishing lanterne rouge at this race, she now sits on top of every leaderboard.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com2025 Tour of Britain Women Stage 1 result
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Main photo credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
