The Women’s Tour is the most significant and longest-running international cycling race for women in Great Britain. The race consists of six challenging stages throughout England and Wales. The riders will cover 735 kilometres in total.

The first stage starts on Whitsun in Colchester, in the east of England. The finish line is 142 kilometres away, on Angel Hill in Burt St Edmunds. Marianne Vos won the final here in 2014. The race’s fifth stage also ends on a slope: the Black Mountain in Wales. This mountain has a 5.3% average gradient, contains two nasty hairpins and is no less than 7200 metres long. It also includes a category one climb and, according to the organisation, the most brutal finish in the Women’s Tour’s history. Therefore the riders will probably not be able to enjoy the beautiful Tywi valley views.

Each stage has its share of climbs, some steeper than others. The hills in stages one, two and six are relatively easy and are classified as category 3. The final stage will start in Chipping Norton on Saturday 11 June and finish in the Oxford city centre. Both places are new to the Women’s Tour route.

One of the riders who would ride the Women's Tour on behalf of Team Jumbo-Visma was Anna Henderson. The British won the mountains classification in RideLondon Classique last week and was looking forward to another great race in her home country. However, Henderson is not fit and therefore will not start.
A disappointment for the team, but her teammates are confident that it will still be a great race.

Race coach Carmen Small advises her riders to work together well to use the team’s strengths. “We will again try to attack and take every opportunity. In stages that end in a sprint, we hope to score with Coryn.”