Isle of Man cyclist in inaugural Tour de France Femmes

Lizzie Holden is from Douglas on the Isle of Man

Isle of Man cyclist Lizzie Holden is set to take part in the inaugural Tour de France Femmes.

The female-only offshoot of the world-renowned bike race is due to take place from the 24 to 31 July.

Ms Holden will be riding for team Le Col Wahoo, alongside Eva van Agt, Maike van der Duin, Majo van't Geloof, Jesse Vandenbulcke and Gladys Verhulst.

The 24-year-old said she was thrilled to be a part of "one of the biggest stage races on the female calendar".

Ms Holden, from Douglas, said it was "huge" to be taking on the world-famous course, which she had grown up watching on television.

However, racing in the event was not something she had considered when she was younger as it was a male-only event.

Lizzie Holden is part of the team of six in Le Col Wahoo

She said to now have the opportunity to take part in the event was "so special".

"I hope people at home will get behind it and hopefully we can inspire some of the next generation who will actually see women doing it now," she added.

Ms Holden said that taking part in group rides across the Isle of Man played an important role in her early cycling development.

"Some days you'd have riders like Mark Cavendish, Peter Kennaugh, Mark Christian... and you'd just go and ride your bike with them for four hours," she said.

"That had a big impact on my career", she said, adding: "I'm really proud to represent the Isle of Man."

Looking ahead to the event, she said she was proud to be part of a "really strong team" who she considered the "underdogs" in the competition.