Tour of Britain Women - Race Preview
It’s a huge week for the team as they take to the roads of the North West for the UK’s biggest road race, The Tour of Britain Women.
With a troubled recent history the Tour of Britain Women has been taken over by British Cycling (BC) and, within just ten weeks, has been re-launched as a four day stage race in Wales and the North West of England. Racing a UCI World Tour stage race in the UK is a momentous occasion for the team and an opportunity we’ve been looking forward to, read our race announcement here and see what Rick and Jo had to say at the time.
We also caught up with Zoe earlier this week as she prepared to leave for the North West, see what she had to say about the race below.
We’ll be joined at the Tour of Britain by our media partner, Through the Lens Media, who will be bringing regular updates, news and behind the scenes content throughout, be sure to follow us and Through the Lens over on Instagram for the latest updates.
The Tour is an opportunity for the team to race against some of the world’s strongest teams, and riders, in front of some of the most enthusiastic fans. World Tour Teams DSM-Firmenich Postnl, Human Powered Health, Liv-Alula-Jayco, and Team SD Worx are joined by a strong GB National Team, all of whom will be looking to dominate the race.
There was a fair bit of surprise when BC announced what looks to be a tough route for, at least, the first three stages of the race with some big climbs and overall profiles that might just suit the breakaway specialists rather than sprinters, certainly until the final stage.
The Tour also offers fans the opportunity to see racing on some iconic stretches of road, including the climbs of Llangynog, Horseshoe Pass, Ramsbottom Rake as well as Conway Castle, Llandudno Promenade and a final stage around Greater Manchester.
The race starts in Welshpool on Thursday 6th June with a stage which snakes it’s way north through the Snowdonia National Park taking in 2,178m of climbing over 142.km and, on paper, looks to be a stage set up for the strong teams to force a split and compete for the win from a much reduced group. Or could a lone attacker use the two small climbs within the final 20km to escape the peloton? Expect the wind to also play it’s part through the exposed valleys at the foot of the Snowdonia mountain range.
Friday’s second stage, starting and finishing in Wrexham with another 140.1km and 1,375m of climbing might suit the pure climbers with Horseshoe Pass, and it’s 407m of ascent at an average of 6.4% over 4.2km a formidable challenge, peaking just 26km from the finish.
With a meer 670m of climbing in a stage only 106.8km long the sprinters might be eyeing Saturday’s stage three which loops out, anticlockwise from Warrington before turning back for a flat and potentially fast finish where it started.
Finally, stage four takes in parts of one of the most densely populated regions of the UK as it leaves the National Cycling Centre in Manchester before taking in Oldham, Rochdale, Bolton, and finishing in Leigh. At 99km it’s the shortest stage of the race but packs in another 1,404m of climbing including the Ramsbottom Rake which promises a lively atmosphere it’s gradients exceeding 15% in places.
Team
We sat down to chat with Zoe just before she set off for the North West this week and we’ll be sharing her regular race diary here and on Instagram throughout the Tour of Britain.
We started by asking her about her overall feelings heading into race week?
Zoe; "My first reaction is that it's such an honour to race the Tour of Britain, I'm so excited to get started. The Tour represents the pinnacle of the sport, racing against some of the best cyclists and strongest teams in the world.
When we're all fighting the conflicting demands of training & racing when fitting in work and life, we sometimes ask why are we doing what we do!
Well, it's for opportunities like this. To celebrate where we've come to, as riders but as a team as well."
And how did Zoe view this week through eyes of a team member?
Zoe; "The Team have been amazing, but it's also an unknown, the team have never raced at this level before in a stage race. They've gone all out with the race preparations, the logistical planning, increasing the facilities available at the start and finish of each stage.
We've had a real focus on recovery, our pre & post race meals, massages, in race fuelling and the girls being able to focus just on the racing for the week. Everyone has pulled together and stepped up."
What were the specific preparations Zoe had made?
Zoe; "I've never raced at this level myself so I've been dealing with my nerves and am determined to make the most of the opportunity, to give 100% and celebrate just how far this team has come in a short period of time.
Our recent French race was good preparation, and I've been putting in longer hours on training rides, building my stamina for the tough, back to back stages and my legs are feeling good. It's a different approach for us as we're more used to single, 100km races so fuelling strategy, thinking ahead to the days to come and how to fuel for longer, is vitally important.”
And what specifically was Zoe looking forward to?
Zoe; "I'm excited for the whole race, really looking forward to the great atmosphere and honestly, all the stages look great, even the flat one that looks like a sprint finish!”
How did she think the race would play out?
Zoe; "I think the stages look unpredictable and difficult to predict, I really don't know what they'll deliver. With so much climbing and with the weather likely to have an influence, especially if the wind blows, pretty much anything could happen. If the World Tour Teams want to use their strength in depth to dominate, we could be looking at a peloton blown apart right from stage one.”
Was there a particular stage Zoe was looking forward to most?
Zoe; "Honestly I'm looking forward to them all, although I'm not sure I'll be saying that during/immediately after them! I'm really excited about Horseshoe Pass, I cant describe how beautiful it is up there. and with the Rake climb, they're iconic UK climbs and I just hope we're able to appreciate them!"
"The final stage is maybe the one I'm looking forward to most, not just because it's the shortest, but for the electric finish, I think there'll be a real sense of achievement at the finish line."
"I'm really looking forward to celebrating the achievement of racing in the Tour of Britain with the whole team, that'll be such an amazing reward for all the hard work."
Stage Detail
Stage 1 - Welshpool to Llandudno - 142.4km / Ascent 2,178m. Start time 11:15am, finish (estimated) 14:31 - 15:11
Stage 2 - Wrexham - 140.1km / Ascent 1,375m. Start time 11:15am, finish (estimated) 14:49 - 15:33
Stage 3 - Warrington - 106.8km / Ascent 670m. Start time 11:15am, finish (estimated) 13:46 - 14:20
Stage 4 - Manchester to Leigh - 99km / Ascent 1,404m. Start time 11:15am, finish (estimated) 13:50 - 14:21
Live TV Coverage & Highlight Show
Viewers in the UK will be able to watch live coverage from every stage on Eurosport, Discovery+ and free-to-air on British Cycling’s YouTube channel, with a daily highlights programme airing on ITV4. Full schedule, courtesy of British Cycling, below;
Stage one: Welshpool to Llandudno (Thursday 6 June)
Live: Starts at 13:00 BST with highlights from opening part of stage. Watch on British Cycling YouTube here.
Highlights: ITV4, 20:00 BST.
Stage two: Wrexham to Wrexham (Friday 7 June)
Live: Starts at 13:15 BST with highlights from opening part of stage. Watch on British Cycling YouTube here.
Highlights: ITV4, 20:00 BST.
Stage 3: Warrington to Warrington (Saturday 8 June)
Live: Starts at 10:45, with full flag-to-flag coverage. Watch on British Cycling YouTube here.
Highlights: ITV4, 20:00 BST.
Stage 4: National Cycling Centre to Leigh, Greater Manchester (Sunday 9 June)
Live: Starts at 11:00, with full flag to flag coverage. Watch on British Cycling YouTube here.
Check out British Cycling’s website for lots more detail on the race and don’t forget to follow the team, and return to the website, for regular updates during the week.
Are you heading to the Tour to show your support?
If so, leave a comment below to let us know where you’ll be, what you’re looking forward to most and please share your photos and videos with us on social media, tag us in and use the #morethanateam
and why not take inspiration from our top fan super_happy_cyclist and show your support out on the route?