Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) leads the Tour of Britain Women 2026 favourites with Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime) also among the leading contenders before Wednesday’s start in Cockermouth, with the summit finish on The Great Orme set to be the race’s key GC test.
The 2024 champion, Kopecky, is provisionally scheduled to face defending winner Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez), Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM) and Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-Suez) across five stages from August 19 to 23. Le Court is also expected to be a key rival in the fight for the green leader’s jersey.
British Cycling has described the announced riders as provisional, with the final lineup due before the start. Only a small number of complete team selections have been confirmed.
The 636.2km route begins with a difficult 158.9km circuit in western Cumbria before heading to Blackpool. Two Welsh stages follow, including Friday’s uphill finish on The Great Orme, before the race concludes in Royal Leamington Spa on Sunday.
Route
5 Stages • 635.9km total
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 19 | Cockermouth to Cockermouth | 158.9 km | Hilly |
| 2 | Aug 20 | Clitheroe to Blackpool | 110.5 km | Hilly to flat finish |
| 3 | Aug 21 | Mold to The Great Orme | 104.7 km | Uphill finish |
| 4 | Aug 22 | Llanidloes to Hay-on-Wye | 138 km | Hilly |
| 5 | Aug 23 | Royal Leamington Spa to Royal Leamington Spa | 123.8 km | Hilly circuit |
Le Court leads the GC contenders
Le Court stands out as the main favourite for the overall title after another superb season, including a stage win at the Tour de France Femmes. However, the race in France may have left her legs a touch heavy going into another week of racing.
The Mauritian national champion won stage one of the Tour of Britain Women in 2025 before having to withdraw on stage three after crashing. The final 2.5km of The Great Orme averages about 6%, with steeper ramps approaching 15%. That should suit Le Court, whose wins at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and on hilly stages at the Tour have demonstrated her ability when the gradients get really tough.
Kopecky is likely to be Le Court’s main rival, as the former winner suits the terrain at this year’s race. Stage three will be the biggest test for her, with the former world champion yet to show the climbing form of previous seasons. That said, she performed well at La Vuelta Femenina earlier in the year where she picked a stage win, two second places and the points jersey as well as finishing second on stage three of the Tour de France Femmes.
FDJ United-Suez come to the race with options but will likely focus on British up-and-coming star Lauren Dickson as the 26-year-old looks to continue her amazing season after finishing 11th at the Giro d’Italia Women before crashing at the Tour de Suisse.
The French squad also bring recent US road champion Kate Courtney who makes her WorldTour debut at the race as well as defending champion Ally Wollaston, although the route does not suit the New Zealander for the title defence. Dickson said in a race press release: “Our roads are grippy and the course is undulating, making for tough and attritional racing with potential for different scenarios.”
Backstedt comes into the race as road and time trial national champion and is on flying form. She is another rider who comes to the race off the back of the Tour de France Femmes where she played a key role for Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney taking second in the final GC.
Backstedt has also won a stage at the Tour de Suisse and defended her title at the Baloise Ladies Tour in Belgium. She showed on the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes that she has amazing climbing legs with the much shorter British climbs suiting her perfectly, while she also packs a substantial punch at the finish.
Pfeiffer Georgi (Team Picnic PostNL), Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech) and potentially Femke De Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike) could also enter the overall contest if they remain close after The Great Orme and are confirmed to be racing.
Wiebes targets the sprint stages
Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) is the strongest provisional sprint option after winning the final stage in 2025 and taking the Tour de France Femmes points classification. Stage two’s finish on Blackpool promenade offers her the clearest opportunity, although stages one, four and five aren’t out of the question for the Dutch champion. Stage four contains 2,227m of elevation, with Hengoed and Clyro Hill late in its 138km saw-tooth profile.
Georgia Baker (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Wollaston, Lara Gillespie (UAE Team L’IMAD), Lieke Veenhoven (Visma-Lease a Bike), Chiara Consonni (Canyon//SRAM) and others will hope to challenge her in the bunch kicks.
The Royal Leamington Spa finale also contains late climbs at Sun Rising Hill and Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. Small GC margins would leave room for attacks or bonus seconds to change the final order on Sunday.
The race could promote open racing, with riders potentially trying early moves to avoid the devastating acceleration of Wiebes while The Great Orme will likely shape the GC.
Image credit: SWPix
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