British Cycling has unveiled a star-studded Great Britain squad to line up at the new-look Tour of Britain Women on June 6-9.
The team will bring together British riders from across the peloton at the Women's WorldTour stage race, with big names including Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) and Anna Henderson (Visma-Lease A Bike) among the six-rider selection.
Joining Deignan and Henderson in the squad is another Lidl-Trek racer, Elynor Bäckstedt, plus 2016 Olympic gold medallist Elinor Barker (Uno-X Mobility) and Fenix-Deceuninck riders Millie Couzens and Flora Perkins.
"We are delighted to be able to confirm such a strong Great Britain Cycling Team for the inaugural Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women," said British Cycling performance director Stephen Park.
"We know that the team will relish the rare opportunity to race at home, and for the Paris hopefuls among the squad, the event will play a crucial role in the final preparations for the Games. We know that they'll add real strength and stardust to the race and expect fans will be out in force to show their support."
With strength in depth, the team looks to be among the strongest set to line up at the June race, facing off against WWT squads including SD Worx-Protime, DSM-Firmenich PostNL, Jayco-AlUla, and Human Powered Health.
Wit Bäckstedt and Barker both hailing from Wales, they will likely particularly enjoy racing the opening two stages in the northern part of the country.
"It's always incredibly special to race on home soil where the energy and support from the crowds is unparalleled," Barker said. "For me personally, I am particularly excited that two of the stages will be hosted in Wales on some iconic roads, which will undoubtedly make for a challenging and competitive race.
"The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women comes at an important time in our preparations for a huge summer of cycling. I think I speak for the whole squad when I say we're extremely motivated to put on a brilliant show in June – we can't wait."
The Tour of Britain Women is now under the control of British Cycling after the former organiser of both women's and men's events, SweetSpot, lost the right to run them, reportedly over unpaid race licence fees.
The new-look race, back following a year off the calendar after SweetSpot had failed to secure sponsorship for the 2023 edition, now enjoys title backing from Lloyds Bank, and will be run under the directorship of former Ineos Grenadiers deputy Rod Ellingworth.
"It's been a monumental effort by the whole team over the past 10 weeks to confirm the stages for this year's Tour of Britain Women," Ellingworth said as the race route was announced in April.
"The race will take in four competitive and challenging routes, some challenging climbing in Wales and what I'm sure will be brilliant crowds on the roadside throughout."
The 2024 Tour of Britain Women will start with a stage from Welshpool to Llandudno on June 6 before hosting a stage in Wrexham the next day and moving across the border for stage 3 in Warrington. The closing fourth stage will be held at the National Cycling Centre in Leigh.
