Women's Tour 2019: Opening stage in Suffolk

1. Coverage as the Women's Tour 2019 begins in Suffolk
2. The race started in Beccles at 10:30 BST
3. Jolien D'hoore of Belgium crosses the finish line first at Stowmarket
4. The 157.6km course visited Halesworth, Framlingham and Bury St Edmunds
5. It is the fourth time Britain's biggest women's pro-cycling race has started in the county

More coverage from the opening stage in Suffolk

Watch Look East on BBC One from 18:30 for more local reports on the opening stage of the Women's Tour 2019.

ITV4 will be broadcasting an hour of highlights at 20:00.

That's a wrap from Suffolk.... Where's next?

Congratulations to Jolien D'hoore and the other jersey winners.

• BBC Sport: D'hoore wins opening stage of Women's Tour

The second stage of the Tour will take the riders to the Cyclopark in Kent.

They will tackle a 62.5km (25-lap) circuit race around the Gravesend venue.

It will be Kent's first ever stage of the Women's Tour, and the biggest international sporting event the county has held since the 2007 Tour de France Grand Depart.

OVO Energy Women's Tour

Breast cancer and Best British jerseys

Race winner Jolien D'hoore was also presented with the pink Breast Cancer Care Points Jersey.

PA

Ellie Dickinson won the HSBC UK British Cycling Best British Rider Jersey.

PA

D'hoore dons the Green Jersey

Belgian racer Jolien D'hoore is presented with the Green Jersey after winning stage one of the Women's Tour in a time of 4h 09m.

The 157.6km (97.9 miles) race went from Beccles to Stowmarket.

PA

Despite the overcast skies and rainy periods during the race across Suffolk, the crowds turned out across towns and villages.

PA

Results from the line at Stowmarket

PA

The provisional result from stage one of the Women's Tour in Stowmarket:

1. Jolien D'hoore (Boels-Dolmans)
2. Amy Pieters (Boels-Dolmans)
3. Lisa Brennauer (WNT-ROTOR Pro Cycling)
4. Roxanne Fournier (Movistar Team)
5. Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv)

BreakingJolien D'hoore takes win at Stowmarket

Belgian cyclist Jolien D'hoore has made it two years running, winning the opening stage of the Women's Tour.

Last year she crossed the line first at Southwold, and now she's won in Stowmarket.

She takes the first green jersey of the six-day race.

BBC

New Zealand visitors catch Tour 'by chance'

Sharon Bristow from New Zealand snapped these photos as the peloton whizzed through Framlingham.

She said it was a coincidence that she was there as they were visiting Framlingham Castle during their trip from Down Under.

"Having said that, it was very exciting to see and join in the cheering on of cyclists," she said.

Sharon Bristow

Sharon Bristow

'Excited' spectators wait at the finish line

It's not long to go until the riders cross the finish line at Stowmarket.

Madeline and Samuel O’Neill, from the town, said it was "more exciting than I thought it would be".

BBC

Lone rider takes maximum points at final sprint

PA

Yorkshire rider Abby-Mae Parkinson, riding for Drops, has a one minute and 40 seconds gap on the rest of the peloton.

Majerus wins the first Queen of the Mountain

The Women's Tour has posted the results of the first Queen of the Mountain (QOM) section of today's stage - a 1.4km climb out of Welnetham.

1. Christine Majerus (Boels-Dolmans)
2. Sofia Bertizollo (Team VIRTU Cycling)
3. Lizzy Banks (Bigla)

The Women's Tour

Passing the Abbey Gate in Bury St Edmunds

A picture of historic Bury St Edmunds when the riders passed by the town's Abbey Gardens and cathedral at about 13:50.

West Suffolk College hails 'thrilling' sport

The Women's Tour passing through Bury St Edmunds, just 28 miles to go!

Final leg...

The riders have passed through Bury St Edmunds.

With less than an hour, and about 24 miles, to go until the expected finish time at 14:53, the crowds are starting to gather in Stowmarket.

Not so much rain now.

BBC

Rivera wins the first sprint

The Women's Tour has posted the results of the first sprint section of today's stage - outside RAF Honington, north of Bury St Edmunds.

1. Coryn Rivera (Sunweb)
2. Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Movistar)
3. Susanne Andersen (Sunweb)

Passing through Halesworth earlier

The riders going up the hill after leaving the town centre just after 11:00...

BBC

Very flat? You always seem to be going up or down...

Kate Scotter

BBC News

"Very flat, Norfolk" as one character said in Noel Coward's play Private Lives, and people from outside the region seem to think that goes for the whole of East Anglia.

BBC

As a cyclist myself, who comes from Norfolk and currently lives in Suffolk, I can vouch for Suffolk not being flat!

On a recent ride, which took us out towards Sudbury, we clocked up 85 miles with 1,015m of climbing, which I would not consider a flat ride.

In Norfolk, you could ride for miles upon miles on the flatlands, often into a demoralising but strength-building headwind, but then you'd turn around and literally get blown home with a tailwind.

Suffolk is much more undulating. It doesn't have big hills or long climbs but not much time is spent riding on the flat either, you always seem to be going up or down, even if just a bit!

Peloton still close together in Little Green

Having left the A140 at Thornham Magna, the riders passed through Little Green on the way to Walsham le Willows.

PA

Will the force be with the riders as they ride through Ixworth? This Star Wars fan will know...

Spectators wait for 'amazing event'

Alison Root

BBC Radio Suffolk

Spectators in Bury St Edmunds take shelter as they wait for the race to pass.

Matt Jones and Thomas Adalbert are with their wives in The Angel Hotel, keeping warm and dry until it's time to cheer on the riders.

The race is due to reach the centre of the medieval cathedral town at about 13:42, where there will be 28.1 miles (45.2km) of racing left to go.

Mr Adalbert (right) said: "It’s an amazing event and as I live just around the corner, it’s right on my doorstep.

"My seven-year-old son Ben loves cycling and he made us come to watch."

BBC

The peloton 'breaks the speed limit' in Eye

Tom Williams

BBC Look East sport

There were lots of smiles in Eye as the peloton whizzed through the town.

One spectator commented on how the women "certainly broke the newly imposed 20mph speed restriction".

BBC

BBC

Schoolchildren out in force in Eye

Earlier, pupils in Eye had been given time out of classes to line the route.