Mara Roldan delivered a breakthrough performance on stage 2 of the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, attacking solo on the final climb of Saltburn Bank to secure the biggest win of her career. The 21-year-old Canadian timed her move to perfection on a rain-slicked day in North Yorkshire, holding off Riejanne Markus to take her first-ever UCI Women’s WorldTour victory.
It was a commanding display by Picnic PostNL, who placed multiple riders in the decisive front group and shaped the race across the final 30 kilometres. Roldan’s victory was the reward for an aggressive and coordinated team strategy on a course that demanded control, patience and precision.
Wet weather, early crashes, and a hard reset of the GC
The second stage started in Hartlepool outside the National Museum of the Royal Navy, with 114.3 kilometres of rolling terrain ahead and a tough finishing circuit around Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Conditions were grim, with persistent rain making the roads greasy and contributing to several crashes throughout the day. Among the early fallers was race leader Kim Le Court, who remounted quickly but was later distanced on the finishing circuit and conceded the overall lead.
The day’s early move featured three British-based riders, Tiffany Keep, Madelaine Leech and Lucy Gadd, who built a lead of three minutes before the bunch, led at times by Lidl-Trek and Picnic PostNL, began to apply more pressure. The group fractured as the circuit loomed, with Keep going solo to sweep up the Queen of the Mountains points on the first Marske Lane ascent before being reeled in.
The race began to fracture dramatically heading into the final 25 kilometres. A crash involving Lorena Wiebes and several others disrupted the peloton, and Anna Henderson briefly went on the offensive before the field reshaped itself around a core group of 25 contenders. By the time the riders reached the second ascent of Marske Lane, just 15 remained in front – five of them from Picnic PostNL.
That dominance allowed the team to set up their pre-planned move. Roldan hit the steepest section of Marske Lane and immediately forced a gap. By the top, she’d taken the maximum Queen of the Mountains points and was away solo with around 14 kilometres still to ride. Behind, Markus responded with a counterattack that brought her within touching distance, but Roldan held her nerve through the twisting descents and into Saltburn’s steep finishing ramp.
With the bunch scattered behind, the young Canadian reached the foot of Saltburn Bank alone and powered up its 200-metre wall to seal the win, 12 seconds ahead of Markus. Ally Wollaston led the next group in 18 seconds behind, just ahead of Megan Jastrab, while Kristen Faulkner finished in ninth to take over the leader’s green jersey.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com“A little bit surreal” – Roldan reflects on breakthrough win
Roldan was elated post-stage and admitted she wasn’t entirely sure such a performance was possible. “It’s my first WorldTour win so that’s a really special feeling,” she said. “It’s a little bit surreal. I didn’t know I had the win in me, but I was hopeful and I was going to give it everything no matter what.”
She confirmed that the attack had been part of a planned strategy, executed perfectly by the team. “We definitely had a plan and I’m very happy it paid off. It was amazing work from the team to set me up for the final climb.”
Coach Callum Ferguson said the win had come off the back of specific targeting of the final Marske Lane climb. “We had a plan that Mara would attack where she did. That was our goal of the day. The girls set it up perfectly and Mara was the strongest. It was just a super day by the team.”
Faulkner takes green, Ferguson moves up
With Le Court losing time after her earlier crash, Faulkner now takes over as overall leader, four seconds ahead of Markus and 12 clear of Wollaston. The American also leads both the points and mountains classifications after an assured ride that saw her take bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint.
“It was a tough circuit, and I think a lot of people were really fighting to stay in the race,” said Faulkner, who called the effort “kind of the perfect one-minute power”. She added, “I felt good on the last climb both times, but I got caught on the long straight before the finish.”
Movistar’s Cat Ferguson continued her consistent run with another strong ride into fifth place, moving her into fourth overall and retaining the white jersey as best young rider. “I’m really happy with where I am. If you told me I was fourth on GC after stage two I’d be so happy, but I’m still hunting for the podium and a stage,” she said.
The race now moves north for the first-ever Scottish stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, with a 143.8km leg through the Borders starting and finishing in Kelso. With more climbing expected and a likely reduced bunch finish on the cobbles of The Square, the GC remains wide open.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com2025 Tour of Britain Women Stage 2 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
