Great Britain Cycling Team joins record field for Lloyds Tour of Britain Women
The Great Britain Cycling Team has been announced as the final addition to the start list for the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, completing a record 19-team field for this year’s edition of the UK’s premier women’s road race. Their inclusion takes the total number of riders to 114 and adds an exciting all-British dimension to a quality line-up.
The Great Britain Cycling Team has been announced as the final addition to the start list for the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, completing a record 19-team field for this year’s edition of the UK’s premier women’s road race. Their inclusion takes the total number of riders to 114 and adds an exciting all-British dimension to a quality line-up.
The race, which begins on Thursday 5 June in the Tees Valley, forms part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour and features top-tier squads including Team SD Worx Protime, Lidl–Trek, Movistar, and AG Insurance – Soudal Team.
The GB team features a mix of proven race winners and emerging talent. Jess Roberts, a former British road race champion (2018), brings experience and tactical nous to the squad. Having last raced the Tour of Britain Women in 2021, Roberts is relishing a return to top-level road racing.
“I’m really excited to be part of the GB team for the Tour of Britain this year,” she said. “The last few years I’ve taken a step back from road racing so I am a little nervous to step back into a WorldTour peloton, but it will be great to get some experience back and hopefully help the team to some good results.”
April Tacey also returns to the event, having ridden in both 2021 and 2022. The punchy Leicestershire rider has already been in WorldTour action this year with Team Coop–Repsol and will be looking to make an impact on home roads.
2024 Lloyds Bank National Circuit Series – Ilkley Car Audio Women’s Grand Prix. Fenix-Deceuninck’s Millie Couzens wins. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Two riders who impressed in last year’s edition – Millie Couzens and Flora Perkins, both of Fenix–Deceuninck – are back in GB colours. Perkins was especially strong in 2024, placing 13th overall and second in the under-23 young rider classification, marking her as a future GC contender.
Making their Tour of Britain Women debut are Anna Morris and Ella MacLean-Howell. Morris is best known for her prowess on the track, where she is a world champion in the individual and team pursuit. She recently demonstrated her road strength with second place at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, one of Britain’s toughest one-day races. MacLean-Howell, meanwhile, comes in from the world of mountain biking, having placed top 10 ten times in U23 World Cups in 2024 and represented Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The squad in form
Rider
2025 highlight
What it tells us
April Tacey (Team Coop–Repsol)
Victorious at the 1.1 Simac Omloop der Kempen Ladies on 17 May – her first win at UCI level.
Arrives razor-sharp for fast, flat finishes such as Dalby Forest–Redcar.
Millie Couzens (Fenix–Deceuninck)
2nd on Stage 1 of WorldTour Itzulia Women six days ago, beaten only by Mischa Bredewold in a bunch gallop.
Shows she can sprint from a reduced group and cope with punchy northern roads.
Anna Morris (Private member)
Runner-up at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, her power on Michaelgate following world pursuit golds.
TT engine with impressive road form on the domestic circuit this year..
Flora Perkins (Fenix–Deceuninck)
Took U23 national road-race honours last June. Third at the Argenta Classic – 2 Districtenpijl in 2024.
A classics-style diesel with a fas finish who thrives on attritional courses.
Jess Roberts (Spectra Racing)
Back in the peloton after a period away from top-tier racing, the 2018 British champion finished safely in the main group at Lincoln, her first National A outing of the year.
Race craft and finishing speed make her a late-stage wildcard.
Ella MacLean-Howell (GB début)
Ten top-tens in U23 MTB World Cups last season and an Olympic start; eager to test herself on tarmac.
Relatively unknown quantity on the road but fearless on technical descents.
Senior Academy Endurance Coach Chris Newton, who will guide the team, said:
“It’s fantastic to again have a strong GB Team in the Tour of Britain Women. It’s a great opportunity to come together as a national team and further develop our current and future stars. This year’s course looks tough and well-planned to make for an exciting race. The first two days around the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire are particularly interesting, as they are old training roads for myself, so hopefully that knowledge will be useful.”
The news builds on the recent announcement that there will be a stellar home contingent for the race, headlined by former world champion and two‑time Tour winner Lizzie Deignan (Lidl–Trek), who has revealed that this edition will be her final competitive appearance on British roads. Deignan will be joined by teammate and last year’s runner‑up Anna Henderson.
Two of Britain’s brightest prospects, Cat Ferguson (Movistar) and Imogen Wolff (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), will make their Tour of Britain Women debuts after stepping up to the Women’s WorldTour this season. Ferguson arrives fresh from victory at the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic, while Wolff has already claimed a stage and the youth jersey at the Vuelta a Extremadura.
Sisters Elynor (UAE Team ADQ) and Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) will also race together for the first time, with Zoe taking the start just weeks after an impressive 15th place at Paris‑Roubaix.
Their inclusion adds further depth to a start list that already boasts European champion Lorena Wiebes and double Olympic gold medallist Kristen Faulkner, meaning home riders will feature on almost every WorldTour squad when the peloton rolls out of Dalby Forest on 5 June.
Stages at a glance:
Stage 1 (Thursday 5 June): Dalby Forest to Redcar – across the North York Moors
Stage 2 (Friday 6 June): Hartlepool to Saltburn-by-the-Sea – featuring a sharp uphill finish
Stage 3 (Saturday 7 June): Kelso to Kelso – circuit race in the Scottish Borders
Stage 4 (Sunday 8 June): Glasgow – closing with a city-centre finale
The Great Britain Cycling Team has been announced as the final addition to the start list for the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, completing a record 19-team field for this year’s edition of the UK’s premier women’s road race. Their inclusion takes the total number of riders to 114 and adds an exciting all-British dimension to a quality line-up.
The race, which begins on Thursday 5 June in the Tees Valley, forms part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour and features top-tier squads including Team SD Worx Protime, Lidl–Trek, Movistar, and AG Insurance – Soudal Team.
The GB team features a mix of proven race winners and emerging talent. Jess Roberts, a former British road race champion (2018), brings experience and tactical nous to the squad. Having last raced the Tour of Britain Women in 2021, Roberts is relishing a return to top-level road racing.
“I’m really excited to be part of the GB team for the Tour of Britain this year,” she said. “The last few years I’ve taken a step back from road racing so I am a little nervous to step back into a WorldTour peloton, but it will be great to get some experience back and hopefully help the team to some good results.”
April Tacey also returns to the event, having ridden in both 2021 and 2022. The punchy Leicestershire rider has already been in WorldTour action this year with Team Coop–Repsol and will be looking to make an impact on home roads.
Two riders who impressed in last year’s edition – Millie Couzens and Flora Perkins, both of Fenix–Deceuninck – are back in GB colours. Perkins was especially strong in 2024, placing 13th overall and second in the under-23 young rider classification, marking her as a future GC contender.
Making their Tour of Britain Women debut are Anna Morris and Ella MacLean-Howell. Morris is best known for her prowess on the track, where she is a world champion in the individual and team pursuit. She recently demonstrated her road strength with second place at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, one of Britain’s toughest one-day races. MacLean-Howell, meanwhile, comes in from the world of mountain biking, having placed top 10 ten times in U23 World Cups in 2024 and represented Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The squad in form
Senior Academy Endurance Coach Chris Newton, who will guide the team, said:
“It’s fantastic to again have a strong GB Team in the Tour of Britain Women. It’s a great opportunity to come together as a national team and further develop our current and future stars. This year’s course looks tough and well-planned to make for an exciting race. The first two days around the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire are particularly interesting, as they are old training roads for myself, so hopefully that knowledge will be useful.”
The news builds on the recent announcement that there will be a stellar home contingent for the race, headlined by former world champion and two‑time Tour winner Lizzie Deignan (Lidl–Trek), who has revealed that this edition will be her final competitive appearance on British roads. Deignan will be joined by teammate and last year’s runner‑up Anna Henderson.
Two of Britain’s brightest prospects, Cat Ferguson (Movistar) and Imogen Wolff (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), will make their Tour of Britain Women debuts after stepping up to the Women’s WorldTour this season. Ferguson arrives fresh from victory at the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic, while Wolff has already claimed a stage and the youth jersey at the Vuelta a Extremadura.
Sisters Elynor (UAE Team ADQ) and Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) will also race together for the first time, with Zoe taking the start just weeks after an impressive 15th place at Paris‑Roubaix.
Their inclusion adds further depth to a start list that already boasts European champion Lorena Wiebes and double Olympic gold medallist Kristen Faulkner, meaning home riders will feature on almost every WorldTour squad when the peloton rolls out of Dalby Forest on 5 June.
Stages at a glance:
Read our stage-by-stage guide here.
Featured image: SWpix.com
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