The Women's Tour confirms world's best teams will compete in 2022 competition
Organisers of the 2022 Women's Tour have confirmed all 14 of the world’s best teams will be in action at the UK’s most prestigious women’s cycle race.
This year’s race, which will have its first finishing line in Bury St Edmunds, is the first edition of the tour to take place in its traditional June calendar position since 2019.
A total of 108 riders from an 18 teams will be competing between June 6 to 11, making it the biggest field in the eight-year history of the sporting event.
Mick Bennett, Women’s Tour race director, said: "We are once again thrilled by the line-up of the world’s best teams, alongside two British squads to excite the home crowd.
"We are in for six exciting days of racing across England and Wales, and I know a lot of people are already counting down to Monday 6 June."
Among those are Team SD Worx, the world’s number one, and the squad of defending champion Demi Vollering.
The Dutch team have also won more stages of the race – 11 – since the Women’s Tour’s inaugural edition in 2014.
Other teams who have had previous winners are: Trek – Segafredo (Lizzie Deignan, 2016 and 2019 champion), Team Jumbo – Visma (Marianne Vos, 2014 champion; Coryn Labecki, 2018 champion), Canyon//SRAM Racing (Kasia Niewiadoma, 2017 champion) and CERATIZIT – WNT Pro Cycling (Lisa Brennauer, 2015 winner).
This year’s race will also welcome three teams - Roland Cogeas Edelweiss (Switzerland), Team Jumbo – Visma (Netherlands) and Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Norway) – for the first time, while Human Powered Health will compete for the first time since 2015.
British interest comes in the form of Le Col – Wahoo and the Essex-based CAMS – Basso squad. The former will be competing in the Women’s Tour for the sixth time, while the latter will notably compete on home soil when the race’s opening stage begins in Colchester.
Completing the line-up is the return of Norwegian squad Team Coop – Hitec Products, whose roster includes former British road race champion Jess Roberts, and Josie Nelson, who impressed during her debut in the 2021 Women’s Tour.
Entry into this year’s race means that Liv Racing Xstra, Team BikeExchange – Jayco and Team SD Worx remain Women’s Tour ever-presents since the first Women's Tour.
Further details of the 2022 Women’s Tour – including stage routes and timetables; ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains and sprint locations; and competing riders – will be announced shortly.
Highlights of this year’s race will once again be shown on ITV4 in the UK, and around the world via Eurosport and GCN.
The 2022 Women’s Tour can also be followed on Twitter (#WomensTour), Facebook, and Instagram or via the event’s official website - womenstour.co.uk.
