BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Matt Warwick
BBC Sport

To have the Lloyd's Tour of Britain Women back on the road after some troubled times is a blessing for women's sport.

And two 19-year-old British riders competing in the event and making a significant impact on road cycling globally are explaining who inspired them to take up the sport.

At a luxury hotel on the outskirts of Darlington, Imogen Wolff looks across at two-time Tour of Britain winner Lizzie Deignan, a little uncomfortably, to tell her that the speech she delivered following her momentous 2021 Paris-Roubaix win is the reason she is at a bike race at all.

Alongside her is housemate Cat Ferguson – who leads the Tour of Britain after victory on the third stage and is the current junior road race world champion and rider for the World Tour Movistar team.

"You're gonna think I'm just saying it because she's sat next to me but it was genuinely Lizzie's speech after Roubaix," says Wolff, who competes for the Visma Lease a Bike team.

"There was like a tagline, 'the women have a space now and we're here to stay,' and it stuck with me.

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Image source, PA Media

BBC Sport

Nineteen-year-old home rider Cat Ferguson prevails at the finish of a crash-packed stage three to gain the general classification lead in the Women's Tour of Britain.

READ MORE: Roldan wins stage two as Faulkner takes overall lead

BBC Sport

The Tour of Britain Women is a UCI World Tour event made up of four stages across four days. The peloton starts at Dalby Forest in the heart of the North York Moors National Park, with riders racing to Redcar to conclude Stage One. Stage Two takes place between Hartlepool and Saltburn-by-the-Sea; with Stage Three heading to the Scottish Borders as the field fight for positions across the town of Kelso. It will be the first time the tour has been held in Scotland, with the finale taking place in Glasgow, where riders will tackle ten laps of a five-mile course across the city before crossing the finish line.

18 teams are due to take to the start line in this year's Tour, with a total of 108 riders expected to set a record field for the event. Twelve World Tour teams headline the event, with Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky of Team SD Worx – Protime hoping to defend her title. Teams from 10 different countries will be represented, while EF Education – Oatly and AG Insurance – Soudal make their debut appearances.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC iPlayer

Saturday 7th June:

Cycling: Tour of Britain Women 2025 (Stage Three)

12:00 – 15:20 BST

Live coverage across the Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & App.

Sunday 8th June:

Cycling: Tour of Britain Women 2025 (Stage Four)

09:50 – 12:30 BST

Live coverage across the Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & App.

Matt Warwick
BBC Sport

Several of Britain's best riders will compete in June's Lloyds Women's Tour of Britain, including Lizzie Deignan.

Her Lidl-Trek team-mate and Olympic silver medallist from last year's Paris Games Anna Henderson will also take on the four stages across England and Scotland, from 5-8 June.

Also starring are two of British cycling's brightest prospects Cat Ferguson of Movistar and Imogen Wolff, who rides for Visma-Lease a Bike.

Sisters Elynor and Zoe Backstedt also compete, for UAE-Team ADQ and Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto respectively.

Deignan, 36, is retiring at the end of this season after an illustrious career which includes twice winning the Tour of Britain Women and many of the sport's biggest races, including the inaugural Paris-Roubaix in 2021 and a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics.

"I have such special memories from this race and over my career I have had a lot of success here," said Deignan, who won in 2016 and 2019.

"This will be my final Tour of Britain so it will be bittersweet but I am going to be surrounded by some incredible women."

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Image source, Getty Images

Get Inspired
#GetInspired

How do I start?

Just hop on a bike and you're good to go. British Cycling, external, Scottish Cycling, external, Welsh Cycling, external and Cycle NI, external have information about clubs and racing tracks, and the Breeze , externalprogramme for women cyclists offers a range of safe and sociable cycle routes for all abilities. If you don't have access to a bike there are hundreds of bike rental facilities across the UK.

What is cycling?

Road cycling, the most common form of cycling, is simply riding a bike outside for exercise, sport or to get from A to B. Track cycling adds a competitive element and sees riders race around a specialist track at high speeds.

Is it for me?

From young children on stabilisers, through to adults going for long countryside rides, cycling is for everyone. Sick of being stuck in traffic? Cycling to work is also one of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your daily routine. There are also a number of cycling clubs around the UK, where coffee and cake stops are as important as the route you ride!

What to expect when I start?

• An hour-long road race can burn up to 844 calories and an hour on the track can burn up to 782 calories.
• To ensure you're riding safely you should wear a helmet, reflective clothing and equip your bike with lights in winter.
• Regardless of how and where you cycle, you'll be increasing muscle strength and stamina whilst decreasing your body-fat levels.
• There are cycling clubs across the UK so it's an excellent way to make friends and develop communication skills.
• Paracycling, external takes a number of forms including Handcycling, where competitors power the bike with their hands and arms and tandem bikes for blind or visually impaired athletes and their assistants.
• It's a low-impact type of exercise, so it's easier on your joints than running or other similar activities.
• Go Ride, external introduces young riders to the sport and improves their bike handling skills. Go Ride Racing is a competition programme which offers entry level competitions for young riders.