AJ Bell Women’s Tour Returns - Official Start List

842 days after Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) won the last edition of the race, the AJ Bell Women’s Tour returns tomorrow (Monday 4 October).

Two days after her historic victory in the first ever women’s Paris Roubaix Deignan heads the start list as the race gets underway in Oxfordshire with a 147.7-kilometre (91.8-mile) stage between Bicester and Banbury.

In total 16 different nationalities are represented on the start line in the 89-rider field. Britain is the most represented nation with 24 riders in the peloton.

A trio of riders – Hannah Barnes (Canyon SRAM Racing), Leah Kirchmann (Team DSM), and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) – will be competing in their seventh edition of the AJ Bell Women’s Tour, having started and finished all six editions to date.

The youngest rider in the race is Alice Towers (Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR) at 18 years and 358 days, while Trek-Segafredo rider Trixi Worrack’s in one of the final races of her career at 40 years and 6 days.

This year’s AJ Bell Women’s Tour features its first-ever individual time trial, taking place in Atherstone on stage three (Wednesday 6 October), with the overall champion set to be crowned in Felixstowe on Saturday (9 October).

Double AJ Bell Women’s Tour stage winner Sarah Roy (Team BikeExchange) said; “VeloViewer has been great to see what the courses will be like this year. The stages look like it will be really fun and interesting racing across the whole week and the terrain really suits our team.

“VeloViewer has been great to see what the courses will be like this year. The stages look like it will be really fun and interesting racing across the whole week and the terrain really suits our team.

“I like that there’s a ‘short’ time trial this year as well. It’ll really sort out the GC which can open the racing up a bit differently for non-time trial riders. It’s also been a special year with the Olympics and the first time we’ve had a really popular, strong stage race after the World Championships. I expect to see some great racing though, our peloton is relentless.”

Sarah Roy

Rider, Team BikeExchange

Sofia Bertizzolo comes into the AJ Bell Women’s Tour fresh having missed Paris – Roubaix; “I don’t have a lot of experience in the Women’s Tour. It’s only the second time I’ve ridden it.

“I have studied the course and expect a very attacking race. The stage profiles don’t seem too difficult, so the attack might be worth it for those who are aiming for the general classification. The time trial could also be decisive for the general classification. I expect a fast race where everyone is sharp. The latter certainly applies to me. The last few weeks I have not ridden any races. But I’ve had good quality training sessions and I’m fresh and ready to go.”

Sofia Bertizzolo

Will ride the Women's Tour for the 2nd time, Team Liv Racing

About the AJ Bell Women’s Tour

Created by SweetSpot Group in 2014, the AJ Bell Women’s Tour is the UK’s first international stage race for women, bringing the world’s top riders to compete in Great Britain as a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour.

The race, which has been won by the likes of Marianne Vos (2014), Lizzie Deignan (2016, 2019) and Coryn Rivera (2018), attracts an annual roadside audience of 300,000, as well as over three million fans through linear and online platforms.

Stages

Stage One	Monday 4 October	Bicester to Banbury	147.6km
Stage Two	Tuesday 5 October	Walsall to Walsall	103km
Stage Three	Wednesday 6 October	Atherstone individual time trial	16.6km
Stage Four	Thursday 7 October	Shoeburyness to Southend-on-Sea	117.5km
Stage Five	Friday 8 October	Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea	95.3km
Stage Six	Saturday 9 October	Haverhill to Felixstowe	155km

Teams

Trek – Segafredo

1	Lizzie Deignan	GBR
2	Audrey Cordon-Ragot	FRA
3	Chloe Hosking	AUS
4	Elisa Longo Borghini	ITA
5	–	–
6	Trixi Worrack	GER

Canyon SRAM Racing

11	–	–
12	Alice Barnes	GBR
13	Hannah Barnes	GBR
14	Elise Chabbey	SUI
15	Ella Harris	NZL
16	–	–

SD Worx

21	Amy Pieters	NED
22	Chantal van den Broek-Blaak	NED
23	Elena Cecchini	ITA
24	Christine Majerus	LUX
25	Anna Shackley	GBR
26	Demi Vollering	NED

Alé BTC Ljubljana

31	Marta Bastianelli	ITA
32	Eugenia Bujak	SLO
33	Maaike Boogaard	NED
34	–	–
35	–	–
36	Sophie Wright	GBR

Team Coop – Hitec Products

41	Josie Nelson	GBR
42	Caroline Andersson	SWE
43	Pernille Feldmann	NOR
44	Ingvild Gåskjenn	NOR
45	Emma Boogaard	NED
46	Mari Mohr	NOR

AWOL O’Shea

51	Hannah Bayes	GBR
52	Olivia Bent	GBR
53	Connie Hayes	GBR
54	Alice Lethbridge	GBR
55	Phoebe Martin	GBR
56	Francesca Morgans-Slader	GBR

FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope

61	Eugénie Duval	FRA
62	Clara Copponi	FRA
63	Maëlle Grossetete	FRA
64	Victorie Guilman	FRA
65	Evita Muzic	FRA
66	Jade Wiel	FRA

Parkhotel Valkenburg

71	Mischa Bredewold	NED
72	Femke Gerritse	NED
73	Pien Limpens	NED
74	Femke Markus	NED
75	Amber van der Hulst	NED
76	Kirstie van Haaften	NED

CAMS – Basso Bikes

81	Hayley Simmonds	GBR
82	Emma Edwards	USA
83	Jessica Finney	GBR
84	Natalie Grinczer	GBR
85	Katie Scott	GBR
86	Becky Storrie	GBR

Liv Racing

91	–	–
92	Sofia Bertizzolo	ITA
93	Alison Jackson	CAN
94	Jeanne Korevaar	NED
95	Evy Kuijpers	NED
96	Soraya Paladin	ITA

Team TIBCO – Silicon Valley Bank

101	Lauren Stephens	USA
102	Tanja Erath	GER
103	Veronica Ewers	USA
104	Nicole Frain	AUS
105	Nina Kessler	NED
106	Abi Smith	GBR

Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR.

111	Joss Lowden	GBR
112	Anna Christian	GBR
113	Dani Christmas	GBR
114	April Tacey	GBR
115	Alice Towers	GBR
116	Maria Van’t Geloof	NED

Movistar Team

121	Sheyla Gutierrez	ESP
122	Aude Biannic	FRA
123	Alicia González	ESP
124	Jelena Erić	SRB
125	Lourdes Oyarbide	ESP
126	Gloria Rodríguez	ESP

Valcar Travel & Service

131	Elisa Balsamo	ITA
132	Chiara Consonni	ITA
133	Ilaria Sanguineti	ITA
134	Elena Pirrone	ITA
135	–	–
136	Margaux Vigie	FRA

Team BikeExchange

141	Sarah Roy	AUS
142	Teniel Campbell	TTO
143	Jessica Allen	AUS
144	Janneke Ensing	NED
145	Ane Santesteban	ESP
146	Lucy Kennedy	AUS

Team DSM

151	Lorena Wiebes	NED
152	Pfeiffer Georgi	GBR
153	Megan Jastrab	USA
154	Leah Kirchmann	CAN
155	Juliette Labous	FRA
156	Liane Lippert	GER