Emma Trott sets sights on The Women's Tour

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Having announced that 16-women's team will partake in the debut Women’s Tour in May, Emma Trott (Boels Dolmans) has targeted the race as a season objective as the 24-year-old will race through her home county of Hertfordshire in front of family and friends.. Emma, who is the elder of the two Trott sisters – Laura being an Olympic gold medallist on the track – was in Clacton to help launch stages 3 and 5 of the Women's Tour.

The finishing town of Stage 3 is Clacton while Stage 5 starts from Harwich. "The event is what all the girls are talking about, and have been for some time. Getting a race like this in Britain is just huge," Trott said.

"Every single team wants to compete here in the Women's Tour. It is on a par with the men's race, we are being treated the same and the prize money is the same – and that is the first time that has happened.

"The crowds for the Olympic cycle races in 2012 were awesome and we are all hoping that there is another fantastic turnout. It is going to be one of the major highlights of the whole season in women's cycling."

Trott was keen to state that while the race will traverse her local roads she is keen to suss out every single section of the race for herself and her teammates including British national champion Lizzie Armistead.

"Obviously I want to do well myself but if Boels Dolmans are successful that's the main thing and if another member of our team wins that's just great. There are fantastic riders in every team and it will be tough. I am really looking forward to the tour and this is an opportunity to put women's cycling on the map."

The race is also a chance to promote cycling as a family pursuit as Trott said.

"That's just how Laura and I got started and we used to go along together as kids. But it doesn't have to be a race – it can just be about riding round the countryside at your own pace and enjoying being out there with family and friends."