842 days after Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) won the last edition of the race, the AJ Bell Women’s Tour returns tomorrow (Monday 4 October).
Two days after her historic victory in the first ever women’s Paris Roubaix Deignan heads the start list as the race gets underway in Oxfordshire with a 147.7-kilometre (91.8-mile) stage between Bicester and Banbury.
In total 16 different nationalities are represented on the start line in the 89-rider field. Britain is the most represented nation with 24 riders in the peloton.
A trio of riders – Hannah Barnes (Canyon SRAM Racing), Leah Kirchmann (Team DSM), and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) – will be competing in their seventh edition of the AJ Bell Women’s Tour, having started and finished all six editions to date.
The youngest rider in the race is Alice Towers (Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR) at 18 years and 358 days, while Trek-Segafredo rider Trixi Worrack’s in one of the final races of her career at 40 years and 6 days.
This year’s AJ Bell Women’s Tour features its first-ever individual time trial, taking place in Atherstone on stage three (Wednesday 6 October), with the overall champion set to be crowned in Felixstowe on Saturday (9 October).
Double AJ Bell Women’s Tour stage winner Sarah Roy (Team BikeExchange) said; “VeloViewer has been great to see what the courses will be like this year. The stages look like it will be really fun and interesting racing across the whole week and the terrain really suits our team.
“VeloViewer has been great to see what the courses will be like this year. The stages look like it will be really fun and interesting racing across the whole week and the terrain really suits our team.
“I like that there’s a ‘short’ time trial this year as well. It’ll really sort out the GC which can open the racing up a bit differently for non-time trial riders. It’s also been a special year with the Olympics and the first time we’ve had a really popular, strong stage race after the World Championships. I expect to see some great racing though, our peloton is relentless.”
Sofia Bertizzolo comes into the AJ Bell Women’s Tour fresh having missed Paris – Roubaix; “I don’t have a lot of experience in the Women’s Tour. It’s only the second time I’ve ridden it.
“I have studied the course and expect a very attacking race. The stage profiles don’t seem too difficult, so the attack might be worth it for those who are aiming for the general classification. The time trial could also be decisive for the general classification. I expect a fast race where everyone is sharp. The latter certainly applies to me. The last few weeks I have not ridden any races. But I’ve had good quality training sessions and I’m fresh and ready to go.”
About the AJ Bell Women’s Tour
Created by SweetSpot Group in 2014, the AJ Bell Women’s Tour is the UK’s first international stage race for women, bringing the world’s top riders to compete in Great Britain as a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour.
The race, which has been won by the likes of Marianne Vos (2014), Lizzie Deignan (2016, 2019) and Coryn Rivera (2018), attracts an annual roadside audience of 300,000, as well as over three million fans through linear and online platforms.
Stages
| Stage One | Monday 4 October | Bicester to Banbury | 147.6km |
| Stage Two | Tuesday 5 October | Walsall to Walsall | 103km |
| Stage Three | Wednesday 6 October | Atherstone individual time trial | 16.6km |
| Stage Four | Thursday 7 October | Shoeburyness to Southend-on-Sea | 117.5km |
| Stage Five | Friday 8 October | Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea | 95.3km |
| Stage Six | Saturday 9 October | Haverhill to Felixstowe | 155km |
Teams
Trek – Segafredo
| 1 | Lizzie Deignan | GBR |
| 2 | Audrey Cordon-Ragot | FRA |
| 3 | Chloe Hosking | AUS |
| 4 | Elisa Longo Borghini | ITA |
| 5 | – | – |
| 6 | Trixi Worrack | GER |
Canyon SRAM Racing
| 11 | – | – |
| 12 | Alice Barnes | GBR |
| 13 | Hannah Barnes | GBR |
| 14 | Elise Chabbey | SUI |
| 15 | Ella Harris | NZL |
| 16 | – | – |
SD Worx
| 21 | Amy Pieters | NED |
| 22 | Chantal van den Broek-Blaak | NED |
| 23 | Elena Cecchini | ITA |
| 24 | Christine Majerus | LUX |
| 25 | Anna Shackley | GBR |
| 26 | Demi Vollering | NED |
Alé BTC Ljubljana
| 31 | Marta Bastianelli | ITA |
| 32 | Eugenia Bujak | SLO |
| 33 | Maaike Boogaard | NED |
| 34 | – | – |
| 35 | – | – |
| 36 | Sophie Wright | GBR |
Team Coop – Hitec Products
| 41 | Josie Nelson | GBR |
| 42 | Caroline Andersson | SWE |
| 43 | Pernille Feldmann | NOR |
| 44 | Ingvild Gåskjenn | NOR |
| 45 | Emma Boogaard | NED |
| 46 | Mari Mohr | NOR |
AWOL O’Shea
| 51 | Hannah Bayes | GBR |
| 52 | Olivia Bent | GBR |
| 53 | Connie Hayes | GBR |
| 54 | Alice Lethbridge | GBR |
| 55 | Phoebe Martin | GBR |
| 56 | Francesca Morgans-Slader | GBR |
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
| 61 | Eugénie Duval | FRA |
| 62 | Clara Copponi | FRA |
| 63 | Maëlle Grossetete | FRA |
| 64 | Victorie Guilman | FRA |
| 65 | Evita Muzic | FRA |
| 66 | Jade Wiel | FRA |
Parkhotel Valkenburg
| 71 | Mischa Bredewold | NED |
| 72 | Femke Gerritse | NED |
| 73 | Pien Limpens | NED |
| 74 | Femke Markus | NED |
| 75 | Amber van der Hulst | NED |
| 76 | Kirstie van Haaften | NED |
CAMS – Basso Bikes
| 81 | Hayley Simmonds | GBR |
| 82 | Emma Edwards | USA |
| 83 | Jessica Finney | GBR |
| 84 | Natalie Grinczer | GBR |
| 85 | Katie Scott | GBR |
| 86 | Becky Storrie | GBR |
Liv Racing
| 91 | – | – |
| 92 | Sofia Bertizzolo | ITA |
| 93 | Alison Jackson | CAN |
| 94 | Jeanne Korevaar | NED |
| 95 | Evy Kuijpers | NED |
| 96 | Soraya Paladin | ITA |
Team TIBCO – Silicon Valley Bank
| 101 | Lauren Stephens | USA |
| 102 | Tanja Erath | GER |
| 103 | Veronica Ewers | USA |
| 104 | Nicole Frain | AUS |
| 105 | Nina Kessler | NED |
| 106 | Abi Smith | GBR |
Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR.
| 111 | Joss Lowden | GBR |
| 112 | Anna Christian | GBR |
| 113 | Dani Christmas | GBR |
| 114 | April Tacey | GBR |
| 115 | Alice Towers | GBR |
| 116 | Maria Van’t Geloof | NED |
Movistar Team
| 121 | Sheyla Gutierrez | ESP |
| 122 | Aude Biannic | FRA |
| 123 | Alicia González | ESP |
| 124 | Jelena Erić | SRB |
| 125 | Lourdes Oyarbide | ESP |
| 126 | Gloria Rodríguez | ESP |
Valcar Travel & Service
| 131 | Elisa Balsamo | ITA |
| 132 | Chiara Consonni | ITA |
| 133 | Ilaria Sanguineti | ITA |
| 134 | Elena Pirrone | ITA |
| 135 | – | – |
| 136 | Margaux Vigie | FRA |
Team BikeExchange
| 141 | Sarah Roy | AUS |
| 142 | Teniel Campbell | TTO |
| 143 | Jessica Allen | AUS |
| 144 | Janneke Ensing | NED |
| 145 | Ane Santesteban | ESP |
| 146 | Lucy Kennedy | AUS |
Team DSM
| 151 | Lorena Wiebes | NED |
| 152 | Pfeiffer Georgi | GBR |
| 153 | Megan Jastrab | USA |
| 154 | Leah Kirchmann | CAN |
| 155 | Juliette Labous | FRA |
| 156 | Liane Lippert | GER |
All images ©CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk
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