The 2025 Tour of Britain Women came down to a dramatic finale in Glasgow, where Ally Wollaston snatched overall victory from Cat Ferguson by the slimmest of margins. Having started the day three seconds behind the 19-year-old Brit, Wollaston used the intermediate sprints to wipe out the deficit before sealing the general classification with a perfectly timed third-place finish in the final sprint. Lorena Wiebes, who had endured a tough week, took her seventh career stage win at the race with a powerful surge to the line.
How Wollaston took the GC win
The short 82-kilometre stage took place on a fast, technical city-centre circuit in Glasgow, with ten laps featuring a series of sharp corners and long straights. Though the course profile suggested a bunch sprint, all attention was on the intermediate sprints, which offered crucial bonus seconds and would prove decisive in the battle between Wollaston and Ferguson.
It was a cagey opening as teams including FDJ-Suez, Movistar, Lidl-Trek and Picnic PostNL controlled the pace, preventing any breakaways and ensuring the first bonus sprint was contested by the key players. Wollaston edged Ferguson in that first sprint, cutting her deficit to two seconds. The pattern repeated itself at the second sprint, with Wollaston again getting her wheel in front, and Ferguson’s lead was down to a single second.
Around this time, Ferguson began to experience tyre trouble. Sealant from a slow puncture was visible, though she initially chose not to change bikes. That decision was revisited later when the tyre softened further, and she took a measured bike swap, rejoining the peloton after a composed chase through the convoy. Despite the setback, she still managed to contest the third and final bonus sprint – and again, Wollaston took maximum seconds. With the two riders now level on time, the general classification would come down to the final sprint.
Anna Morris made a solo move in the closing laps, stretching her advantage briefly, but with GC and stage honours still on the line, her attempt was reeled in inside 10km to go. Lidl-Trek moved to the front with Lizzie Deignan leading the way, though it was SD Worx-Protime who executed the best lead-out.
Wiebes, who had endured crashes and a hand injury earlier in the race, launched early and held off Charlotte Kool for the win. Behind them, Wollaston surged up the inside in the final 200 metres, overtaking Ferguson to finish third and grab the final four bonus seconds. Ferguson crossed the line in seventh, losing the overall by four seconds.
Photo Credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.comReactions from the riders after the stage
Ally Wollaston admitted afterwards that she wasn’t always sure she had the legs to pull it off. Speaking after her first Women’s WorldTour stage race win, the FDJ-Suez rider explained, “It really came down to the last sprint. There was definitely a moment where I thought, ‘I just cannot do this today,’ and my teammates really helped me pull it together and pulled me to the front for the final.” She credited her team’s execution in the lead-out and throughout the day, adding, “I’m a bit overwhelmed but I’m so happy, I really couldn’t have done it without them.”
She also revealed that the plan had been clear the night before. “I called Mum and Dad last night and said that the plan was to go for all three bonus sprints,” she said. “And I said Cat will probably be thinking the same thing! I think they’ll be super proud back home.”
For Cat Ferguson, there was obvious disappointment but also pride in what she’d achieved over the four days. The 19-year-old Yorkshire rider reflected on a stressful final stage, saying, “It was eventful, let’s say. Always something going on with the three intermediate sprints, and I also had a puncture. I noticed that I had sealant everywhere after the first sprint, but I didn’t want to change as it felt OK, then slowly it was going down.” She eventually swapped bikes after lap five and was forced to chase back on, but kept her cool. “Previously I would probably have panicked a lot more,” she said. “But thankfully, having done it in an OK place, there was still a lap and a half to go before the next sprint. Luck was on my side.”
Despite the setback, Ferguson was still in contention until the final corners. “I was in an OK position, but then I got a bit chopped up on some corners before,” she said. “Ally sort of went away, and I knew that that was it. Of course, I’m gutted, but she was the stronger sprinter today.” Even with the GC win slipping away, she remained positive. “If you told me at the beginning that I’d come second overall and also win a stage, I’d have been over the moon,” she said. “I can’t be too disappointed.”
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com Lorena Wiebes, who had hoped to fight for the GC earlier in the race, turned things around with a dominant stage win in Glasgow. After crashing on stage 2 and struggling with a hand injury, the European champion bounced back strongly. “We really went into the stage to finish it in a good way,” she told Cycling Weekly. “Luckily, the crash from yesterday didn’t do too much damage. I was feeling a bit better on the bike… I felt pretty strong at the end and I’m happy that the sprint power was still there.”
Her team had suffered too, with Barbara Guarischi crashing out the previous day. Wiebes said the squad had to stay focused under pressure. “The team did a really good job to keep me safe in the front,” she added. “It was a tough race – with a city centre, all the time you have to push the power. But for me, it was perfect towards the finish.”
Sport director Christian Kos praised Wiebes’ perseverance and the team’s morale. “It was necessary to go out with a bang because we didn’t have the most lucky week,” he said. “Lorena hitting the deck twice, a hard crash for Barbara yesterday… but this is a nice lift up of the spirit.” He also felt that Wiebes had the potential to fight for the overall if things had gone differently. “Without the bad luck I still believe she could have fought for the GC here.”
Elsewhere, Visma | Lease a Bike’s Nienke Veenhoven took tenth in the stage and reflected on a messy sprint. “It was a super chaotic circuit,” she said. “The pace was really high. My teammates did a great job keeping me near the front… I was in a good position, but I lost some ground in that last turn. I had the feeling there was more possible than tenth place, but that’s part of sprinting.”
Ferguson ended the race with the young rider and points classifications, along with the combativity award for stage 4. Kristen Faulkner, who wore the leader’s jersey after stage 2 before crashing out of contention, was awarded the overall combativity prize for her attacking rides earlier in the race. Dominika Wlodarczyk secured the mountains jersey, while Wollaston’s FDJ-Suez squad topped the team classification.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com2025 Tour of Britain Women Stage 4 result
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2025 Tour of Britain Women GC result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
