News: Women’s Tour Starts Wednesday

Excitement is building ahead of the start of the fifth edition of the Women’s Tour as competitors begin to arrive in Suffolk for Stage One on Wednesday 13 June.

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News: Women’s Tour Starts Wednesday

Excitement is building ahead of the start of the fifth edition of the Women’s Tour, the most prestigious women’s cycle race in the UK, as competitors begin to arrive in Suffolk for Stage One on Wednesday 13 June.

The race, part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, gets underway from Framlingham, made famous by local boy Ed Sheeran’s hit ‘Castle on the Hill’, and finishes Southwold on the Suffolk Coast. Five days later the event culminates with a first ever visit to Wales (Sunday 17 June). Team Sunweb coach Hans Timmermans is again predicting an open and exciting race, describing the OVO Energy Women’s Tour as “the most prestigious stage race of the season.

He added: “We believe that it will be spectacular again with finals with some hills in and then in the end a hard queen stage with longer climbs. We have a sprinter in our team with Coryn [Rivera] who will get some great chances, especially because of the hard finals.”

Mitchelton Scott Sports Director Martin Vestby agrees, likening the five day race to the Spring Classics thanks to the topography of the route. “As with previous editions of this race the stages look to be super hard, often the terrain is much more challenging than the profiles suggest, with plenty of rolling country roads to contend with, and much like the classics, lots of short but very steep climbs,” he said.

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Taking bib number one for the race, in a strong Canyon//SRAM line-up containing British stars Hannah and Alice Barnes, is defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma. “I love all of the fans along the roadside and I have amazing memories from last year! I’m coming into this race with no pressure and no expectations on myself,” said the 2017 winner. “It will be pure racing for the team. At the moment, I feel happy and complete on my bike and that’s all that matters!

“I saw the stage profiles and I can say that they are going to hurt! It’s a demanding and unpredictable race and I love this. I have decided to race again because of these hard stages which I believe will help me to get into better shape before the Giro Rosa.”

Lisa Brennauer (Wiggle HIGH5) is one of two other previous champions in the race – alongside Marianne Vos (WaowDeals Pro Cycling) – and the German rider is looking forward to returning to the event she won in 2015. Brennauer said: “When I think back to when I won, and the victory ceremony, how many people were there to cheer. Always alongside the road it’s really huge, and as well – organisation-wise – it’s the top race of the year. For me it’s the biggest Tour in the calendar in more than just one aspect.”

In total 102 riders from 17 teams feature on the provisional rider list, with athletes from 22 different nations due to amass for the opening stage from Framlingham to Southwold. Six riders who have held the World Road Race Champions rainbow jersey will race, including reigning champion Chantal Blaak, while the field also contains a raft of Olympic, Commonwealth and National Champions.

Subsequent stages will take the race to Northamptonshire (Thursday 14 June), Warwickshire (Friday 15 June) and Worcestershire (Saturday 16 June) before the final stage from Dolgellau to Colwyn Bay on the North Wales coast, via Snowdonia.

A one-hour highlights programme of every stage will be broadcast daily on ITV4 and available on demand via the ITV Hub. The Women’s Tour is a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, comprising 23 events around the world in 10 different countries.

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Canyon // Sram Racing
1 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL
2 BARNES Hannah GBR
3 *BARNES Alice GBR
4 AMIALIUSIK Alena BLR
5 FERRAND PREVOT Pauline FRA
6 *KLEIN Lisa GER

Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
11 BLAAK Chantal NED
12 *DIDERIKSEN Amalie DEN
13 *VAN DEN BOS Jip NED
14 MAJERUS Christine LUX
15 PIETERS Amy NED
16 PLICHTA Anna POL

Team Sunweb
21 RIVERA Coryn USA
22 BRAND Lucinda NED
23 KIRCHMANN Leah CAN
24 SOEK Julia NED
25 *MACKAIJ Floortje NED
26 VAN DIJK Ellen NED

Cervelo – Bigla Pro Cycling Team
31 *JØRGENSEN Emma Cecilie Norsgaard DEN
32 DUYCK Ann-Sophie BEL
33 HANSELMANN Nicole SUI
34 *KOPPENBURG Clara GER
35 LEPISTÖ Lotta Pauliina FIN
36 *LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup DEN

Fdj Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
41 FOURNIER Roxane FRA
42 DEMAY Coralie FRA
43 DUVAL Eugénie FRA
44 KITCHEN Lauren AUS
45 TENNIGLO Moniek NED
46 SLIK Rozanne NED

Wiggle High5
51 BRENNAUER Lisa GER
52 ARCHIBALD Katie GBR
53 EDMONDSON Annette AUS
54 CORDON RAGOT Audrey FRA
55 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA
56 WILD Kirsten NED

Cylance Pro Cycling
61 BRONZINI Giorgia ITA
62 *ERIC Jelena SRB
63 GUTIERREZ RUIZ Sheyla ESP
64 RATTO Rossella ITA
65 SHAPIRA Omer ISR
66 TAGLIAFERRO Marta ITA

Mitchelton Scott
71 D’HOORE Jolien BEL
72 ALLEN Jessica AUS
73 WILLIAMS Georgia NZL
74 ELVIN Gracie AUS
75 *MANLY Alexandra AUS
76 ROY Sarah AUS

Ale Cipollini
81 HOSKING Chloe AUS
82 BASTIANELLI Marta ITA
83 ENSING Janneke NED
84 KASPER Romy GER
85 TREVISI Anna ITA
86 PALADIN Soraya ITA

Trek – Drops
91 BUURMAN Eva NED
92 *HOLDEN Elizabeth GBR
93 *LLOYD Manon GBR
94 *PARKINSON Abby-Mae GBR
95 PAYTON Hannah GBR
96 *VAN TWISK Abigail GBR

Waowdeals Pro Cycling Team
101 VOS Marianne NED
102 *KOREVAAR Jeanne NED
103 KOSTER Anouska NED
104 ROOIJAKKERS Paulien NED
105 ROWE Danielle GBR
106 STULTIENS Sabrina NED

Hitec Products – Birk Sport
111 *ANDERSEN Susanne NOR
112 BECKER Charlotte GER
113 FRAPPORTI Simona ITA
114 KESSLER Nina NED
115 LORVIK Ingrid NOR
116 HEINE Vita NOR

Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team
121 SIMMONDS Hayley GBR
122 *BADEGRUBER Anna AUT
123 *SOET Aafke NED
124 GRINCZER Natalie GBR
125 PILOTE FORTIN Gabrielle CAN
126 SPOOR Winanda NED

Team Virtu Cycling
131 GUARISCHI Barbara ITA
132 MOBERG Emilie NOR
133 KRÖGER Mieke GER
134 PAWLOWSKA Katarzyna POL
135 PENTON Sara SWE
136 SIGGAARD Christina DEN

Btc City Ljubljana
141 BUJAK Eugenia SLO
142 BATAGELJ Polona SLO
143 *BOOGAARD Maaike NED
144 NILSSON Hanna SWE
145 *IAKOVENKO Anastasiia RUS
146 PINTAR Urska SLO

Storey Racing
151 DURRELL Rebecca GBR
152 CRUMPTON Bethany GBR
153 EVANS Neah GBR
154 HARRIS Elizabeth Jane GBR
155 MASON Chanel GBR
156 *LOWTHER Melissa GBR

Valcar Pbm
161 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ITA
162 CONSONNI Chiara ITA
163 MUCCIOLI Dalia ITA
164 *POLLICINI Silvia ITA
165 SANGUINETI Ilaria ITA
166 *ZANETTIN Chiara ITA

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