Ruth Edwards will return to professional racing with Human Powered Health in 2027 after extending her contract for another season following the birth of her first son, Hank.
The 33-year-old American sat out the entire 2026 racing season during her pregnancy, having announced she was expecting her first child last November. Her new agreement confirms she intends to resume a career that had already produced one successful comeback after initially stepping away from road racing at the end of 2021.
Edwards returned to the Women’s WorldTour with Human Powered Health in 2024 and quickly re-established herself as a contender in major stage races. She now heads towards another comeback with a different perspective on racing and family life.
“I’m really excited to come back to racing,” Edwards said. “I’ve had this amazing cycling career, and I’m super excited to continue with Human Powered Health.”
Photo Credit: GettyEdwards preparing for second major comeback
Edwards initially retired from professional road racing following the 2021 season, having enjoyed one of the strongest years of her career with victories at Brabantse Pijl and the Tour de l’Ardèche.
She subsequently raced gravel in the United States before deciding to return to the professional peloton with Human Powered Health for 2024.
The comeback produced results almost immediately. Edwards finished fourth at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race before building towards one of the biggest stage-race successes of her career at the Thüringen Ladies Tour.
After going clear with Margot Vanpachtenbeke during the opening stage in Jena, Edwards remained in contention throughout the week and moved into the race lead before the decisive time trial.
She ultimately secured the 2024 Thüringen Ladies Tour overall victory, finishing ahead of Mischa Bredewold and Brodie Chapman.
Her return season also included two second places on stages of the Giro d’Italia Women.
“The team showed me a massive amount of encouragement when I returned in 2024, and my results with the team in those two years were no slouch, with a handful of wins and a couple of podiums that I’m really proud of,” Edwards said.
Tour de France Femmes podium followed in 2025
Edwards carried that form into 2025 and added another major result at the Tour de France Femmes.
She was part of the decisive breakaway on stage 7 to Chambéry, staying in contention as the race split over the Col de Saint-Franc and Col du Granier.
Maëva Squiban ultimately escaped to take a second consecutive stage victory, but Edwards remained among the strongest riders from the original move and finished third in Chambéry.
She also became Pan American individual time trial champion during the season, further developing a discipline she wants to pursue when she returns.
The decision to step away from competition for 2026 came after two seasons in which Edwards had demonstrated that her first retirement had not diminished her ability to compete at WorldTour level.
Motherhood changes Edwards’ perspective on racing
Her second comeback will inevitably look different.
Edwards said becoming a mother had brought emotions that were difficult to compare with anything she had previously experienced in cycling.
“The experience of having a baby is unlike any other,” she said. “It’s the biggest joy, the biggest panic, the biggest anxiety that I’ve experienced so far.
“I just can’t really remember my life without him, and I’m so excited for every day to wake up and see his little smiling face.”
Rather than creating doubts about returning, Edwards believes the experience has reinforced why she wants to race.
“My return now feels even more like a ‘let’s do it because I love it’,” she said. “Now I get to be in this position with the support from a team and my family, and just go after this big goal. And just having Hank be a part of that is really special.”
That balance between professional ambition and life away from racing will be central to her 2027 season.
“I’m choosing to race my bike, and that’s a really, really cool place that I’m in,” Edwards added. “If we’re going to make this jump as a family, then I want to do it 100%. I want to give everything I’ve got, but then take a breath and enjoy life and enjoy being with my family and my son off the bike.”
Human Powered Health back Edwards for another return
Human Powered Health general manager Ro De Jonckere believes Edwards’ first comeback gives the team confidence about what she can achieve again.
“Ruth’s story with our team has always been a special one,” De Jonckere said. “She already made an incredible comeback with us after stepping away from road racing at the end of 2021, and now she is preparing for another new chapter as she returns after pregnancy.”
Edwards had remained part of the team’s plans during 2026 despite being unavailable to race. Her absence was one of the factors considered in our Human Powered Health 2026 Women’s WorldTour team guide, with other riders taking greater responsibility during the season.
She will reconnect with the squad when Human Powered Health gathers at its Performance Lab in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in October.
“We know Ruth well, and we know what she is capable of,” De Jonckere said. “If her first comeback taught us anything, it’s that you should never underestimate Ruth Edwards.”
Edwards targeting stage races and time trials in 2027
Edwards has already identified several areas she wants to target when racing resumes.
Stage races remain an obvious objective given her performances in Thüringen, the Giro and Tour de France Femmes, while the reigning Pan American champion wants to continue improving against the clock.
She also sees herself playing an important supporting role within a Human Powered Health squad that will contain several new faces in 2027.
“I can’t wait to get back there again and try to fight for some podiums and some stage races,” Edwards said. “Time trials are really exciting to me too, and I want to continue to grow in that discipline.”
Her ambitions are not limited to personal results.
“I’m really confident in saying that I think I’m one of the best domestiques that exist in the peloton,” she said. “I think with these new riders that we have on the team, I’m just really excited to support them and help them grow and get results.”
For Edwards, the 2027 season will therefore represent more than simply returning after a year away. Her first comeback proved she could step away from WorldTour racing and still return as a winner. This time she will attempt to do so while combining professional cycling with motherhood.
“I just have this feeling that I can take it a step further,” Edwards said. “I have a lot of faith in myself about where I can go and what I can do. I’m really excited.”
