'Intense' time for Women's Tour with equal prize money

A cricket World Cup is nether way, nan French Open tennis Grand Slam is approaching its climax, and shot ne'er stops.

When nan women's Tour of Britain returns this week, it will deed immoderate superior traffic.

The summertime of athletics schedule is astir to erupt further pinch Euro 2024, but nan return of a pivotal cycling title represents an important infinitesimal for women's athletics - and a cardinal checkpoint connected nan roadworthy to nan Paris Olympics.

Under nan stewardship of British Cycling - pursuing nan collapse of erstwhile organisers Sweetspot - nan title has been put together successful very small clip by a squad including erstwhile Ineos Grenadiers leader Rod Ellingworth.

"It's a really breathtaking clip to beryllium portion of athletics which has changed a batch since I became a pro 5 years ago," says 22-year-old Elynor Backstedt – Lidl Trek's one-day racing ace who will compete for nan Great Britain squad.

"Races person sewage much intense, and immoderate person sewage truthful overmuch longer, pinch teams getting bigger to accommodate – it's really breathtaking nan athletics is expanding."

This has been achieved pinch nan rarest of statements successful women's cycling: prize money parity.

The Tour of Britain Women has agelong been admired arsenic a progressive race, fixed Sweetspot's erstwhile efforts to person an adjacent prize cookware to nan men's event, which typically runs successful September.

This year's title has an wide prize money of astir 60,000 euros (£51,045). This is proportionately nan aforesaid arsenic nan men's title - albeit accounting for nan women's circuit being 2 days shorter this year, astatine 4 stages.

"We made a large committedness to prize money for nan Tour of Britain Women this year," says British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton. "The aspiration adjacent twelvemonth is for 2 afloat six-stages events."

For context, nan biggest title successful women's cycling these days is nan Tour de France Femmes, wherever nan wide victor receives conscionable a tenth of nan 500,000 euros taken by nan victor of nan yellowish jersey successful nan men’s race.

But there's different prize complete nan sky bigger than a cookware of gold.

With nan Paris Olympics action upcoming, this is 1 of nan biggest chances for riders to get successful nan mix.

You don't person to declare nan greenish jersey wide to make it to Paris, but it would thief two-time victor Lizzie Deignan, 35, who fronts nan GB team.

She has already proclaimed she is beautiful happy pinch nan people and immoderate of nan climbs which entreaty to her tough, uncompromising breakaway-style riding.

Many will dream nan surgery limb she sustained during nan Tour of Flanders this play will not forestall a fairytale return to shape complete nan summer, pursuing nan commencement of her 2nd kid successful 2022.

But location are way stars vying for attraction too. Olympic golden medallist and seven-time way world champion Elinor Barker besides wants to feels nan emotion from nan broadside of nan road.

"It's ever incredibly typical to title connected location ungraded wherever nan power and support from nan crowds is unparalleled," Barker, 29, says.

"The title comes astatine an important clip successful our preparations for a immense summertime of cycling – we can't wait."

Barker, usually of nan Uno-X team, besides features successful a beardown GB squad, which includes Visma-Lease A Bike's Anna Henderson.

But this is nary training ride. Unlike pinch nan men's event, nan Tour of Britain Women is simply a World Tour title – and galore of nan world's champion riders are here,, external including Belgian world roadworthy champion and Paris-Roubaix victor Lotte Kopecky for nan mighty SD Worx team.

It has not been easy for British Cycling to resurrect nan title truthful quickly, but it comes successful portion acknowledgment to a multi-million lb sponsorship woody pinch Lloyds Bank, which is said to beryllium "one of nan biggest successful British sport", according to Dutton.

There is small uncertainty this clip astir they person called successful a fewer favours from nan contacts book who person faithfully held stages of nan title successful caller years – stretching arsenic it does crossed Wales and complete into north-west England.

The really harsh climbs hap connected nan first 2 days crossed Wales, including Llangynog's imposing class 1 trial adjacent Snowdonia, and Llangollen's Horseshoe Pass, connected nan measurement backmost to Wrexham.

"For me, personally, I americium peculiarly excited that 2 of nan stages will beryllium hosted successful Wales connected immoderate iconic roads," adds Cardiff-born Barker. "It will undoubtedly make for a challenging and competitory race."

The remaining roads astir nan Peak District adjacent Manchester and Warrington will beryllium nary little demanding connected nan legs, arsenic nan accent increases for those intent connected making an belief connected Olympic selection.

Great Britain team:

Elynor Backstedt

Elinor Barker

Millie Couzens

Lizzie Deignan

Anna Henderson

Flora Perkins

Stages:

Stage 1 – Thursday, 6 June 2024: Welshpool to Llandudno

Stage 2 – Friday, 7 June 2024: Wrexham to Wrexham

Stage 3 – Saturday, 8 June 2024: Warrington to Warrington

Stage 4 – Sunday, 9 June 2024: Greater Manchester: National Cycling Centre to Leigh