Tour of Britain Women 2024 - Analysing the Contenders

British Cycling and Lloyds Bank have taken over the Tour of Britain Women, formerly called the Women's Tour, for its ninth edition, which will start on June 6 in Welshpool and finish on June 9 in Manchester.

There was some concern that the race might not happen again this year after SweetSpot, the former organisers, entered liquidation after financial difficulties. The event, which held its inaugural edition in 2014, was already cancelled twice in 2020 and last year, and another cancellation would have marked a serious loss for women's racing in Great Britain.

However, the event remains part of the Women's WorldTour, and despite the initial uncertainty and being reduced to four days, still promises to offer the peloton and fans alike action-packed racing across four hilly, puncheur-style stages before the overall winner is crowned in Manchester.

There are currently 88 riders set to start the Tour of Britain Women, and although the field size is smaller than some of the other events that are part of the top-tier racing series, a number of riders stand out as potential contenders for the overall classification.

Cyclingnews highlights the riders to watch for the 2024 Tour of Britain Women.

Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime)

There is no shortage of potential stage winners and overall contenders that will line up as part of the SD Worx-Protime squad. World Champion Lotte Kopecky will be the out-right favourite for both endeavours. 

After taking a break to recover following the Spring Classics, Kopecky recently returned to competition in support of her teammate Lorena Wiebes at the RideLondon Classique. 

The unbeatable duo did not disappoint, with Koepcky offering her services as a lead-out extraordinaire for Wiebes, who won all three stages and the overall classification.

The pair could swap roles for the Tour of Britain Women's punchier four-day parcour, where the hilly terrain and two categorised mountains on each stage could favour Kopecky's skillset.

Of course, the team also includes Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, Elena Cecchini and Christine Majerus, who are likely to be in support roles, along with sprint lead-out Barbara Guarischi, for a well-rounded team.

Lizzie Deignan (Team Great Britain)

Lidl-Trek is not registered to participate in the Tour of Britain Women, but the event has always been an important one for home-favourite Lizzie Deignan. 

The former World Champion has won the overall classification on two occasions, in 2026 and 2019, while her trade teammate Elisa Longo Borghini won the last edition, held in 2022, by just one second ahead of rival Grace Brown.

Deignan started this season determined to turn the tide after a winless 2023, and while she had a strong start to her spring campaign, it came to an abrupt halt after a crash in the first ten kilometres of the Tour of Flanders. X-rays showed Deignan suffered a fracture to the radial head of her right arm and she was forced to take a month away from racing.

She has slowly re-built her form having raced in support roles at La Vuelta Femenina and RideLondon Classique, and looks to be ready to lead Team Great Britain for their next home event. 

It is a strong squad, too, with Olympic gold medallist and seven-time track world champion Elinor Barker, Elynor Bäckstedt, Anna Henderson, Millie Couzens, and Flora Perkins.

Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL)

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL also arrives with a powerful line-up that includes climber Abi Smith, time trialist Daniek Hengeveld, and sprint specialist Charlotte Kool, with her trusted lead-out team of Franziska Koch and Rachele Barbieri. 

For the overall classification, however, we've chosen British national champion Pfeiffer Georgi because of her all-around ability across puncheur-style terrain and in both breakaways and reduced-group sprints.

She has had a strong spring campaign, and while lacking a victory, finished third at Omloop van het Hageland, fifth at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, third at Paris-Roubaix and fourth at Amstel Gold Race.

Her highest place in this event was eighth overall in the 2021 edition, but this year's route could present a perfect opportunity for Georgi to secure a podium spot in the GC.

Henrietta Christie (Human Powered Health)

A smaller field could offer more opportunities for those riders who are just on the cusp of a big victory, and with a hilly route on offer, Henrietta Christie certainly fits this bill.

The New Zealander frequently ranks inside the top 10 at major events and often works in a support role, too. 

However, at the Tour of Britain Women, Christie will be in a leadership role at Human Powered Health with a team ready to support her to what could become a debut win on the Women's WorldTour and a top place in the overall standings.

The 22-year-old captured her first podium in European racing at Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar and then recently competed at the Vuelta an Andalucia Women, where she was inside the top 10 in three of the four stages and sixth place overall. 

These are results that bode well for her goals as she leads the team at the Tour of Britain Women, which also includes home rider Alice Wood, Barbara Malcotti, Linda Zanetti, Silvia Zanardi, and Marit Raaijmakers.

Letizia Paternoster (Liv Alula Jayco)

Letizia Paternoster might be more recognized as a sprinter, but the Italian multi-discipline racer has shown her pedigree in hilly races as well.

While she has a major focus on the track events at this summer's Paris Olympic Games, she also enjoys the hilly Spring Classics and stage races. This spring she finished fourth at Ronde van Drenthe, third at Dwars door Vlaanderen and ninth at Tour of Flanders, which shows her power on some of the sport's most challenging short and steep ascents.

She recently returned to competition at RideLondon Classique, and she hasn't seemed to skip a beat, finishing second into Colchester, fourth into Maldon and eighth into London, wrapping up the three-day event in fourth in the final standings behind overall winner Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), runner-up Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich Post NL) and third-placed Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).

The hillier route offered at Tour of Britain Women could give Paternoster the edge over her sprinter rivals, so watch for her to be among those in contention for the overall victory.