The Tour de France Femme returns this Saturday, 1 August, with the world’s best riders lining up in Lausanne for the start of the 2026 edition. The United Kingdom will be represented by six British riders, two more than last year, highlighting the growing depth of British women’s cycling at the highest level. However, that encouraging increase is tempered by one major absence : Cat Ferguson. Widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in world cycling, the British rider has been forced to miss the race after suffering a heavy crash on the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia Women.
Six British riders with very different ambitions
After initially escaping serious injury, Cat Ferguson was later diagnosed with two fractured ankles, ruling her out of what could have been her Tour de France Femmes debut. The 20-year-old had looked capable of challenging for stage victories following an outstanding first half of the season, but her absence significantly changes Britain’s ambitions. Barring a major surprise, no British rider is expected to challenge for the overall classification, meaning the focus will instead be on stage victories, breakaways and the individual time trial.
In Ferguson’s absence, Britain’s leading hope becomes Zoe Bäckstedt, who will make her Tour de France Femmes debut with Canyon//SRAM. Still only 21, Bäckstedt arrives at the biggest race on the women’s calendar enjoying arguably the finest form of her young career. Already a former junior world champion on the road, track and cyclo-cross, the versatile British rider has continued her rapid progression throughout 2026. She claimed a stage victory at the Tour de Suisse, successfully defended her overall title at the Baloise Ladies Tour and then completed an impressive double at the British National Championships by winning both the road race and the individual time trial.
The route also presents her with a genuine opportunity to make an immediate impact. The individual time trial in Dijon is perfectly suited to Bäckstedt’s strengths, and she will start among the leading contenders for the stage victory. The reigning Under-23 world time trial champion has already established herself as one of the strongest young specialists against the clock, giving her every chance of competing with the discipline’s biggest names, although riders such as Marlen Reusser will understandably begin as slight favourites. Across the remainder of the race, Bäckstedt is also expected to play an important supporting role for Canyon//SRAM as they build their general classification campaign around former Tour winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, while hoping to seize any personal opportunities that emerge during the nine-day race.
Within the Team Picnic PostNL squad, Pfeiffer Georgi appears to be Britain’s strongest road-stage contender. A proven Classics specialist, she excels on demanding, attritional terrain where repeated climbs and aggressive racing eliminate the pure sprinters. That profile makes several stages during the opening week particularly attractive for the British rider. With Picnic PostNL lacking an outright favourite for the general classification, Georgi could enjoy greater tactical freedom than many of her rivals, allowing her to target selective finishes and difficult breakaway days. She has repeatedly shown she can compete with the strongest riders on this type of terrain, including during previous editions of the race, making her one of Britain’s most realistic hopes of a stage result.
Picnic PostNL will also line up with Josie Nelson and Robyn Clay. Nelson continues to fulfil the promise she has shown over the past two seasons and appears ready to take another significant step forward in 2026. Fast enough to contest reduced sprints while possessing the climbing ability to survive selective stages, she becomes particularly dangerous when hard racing removes the pure sprinters before the finish. Several stages on this year’s route appear well suited to exactly that scenario, potentially giving the British rider genuine opportunities to fight for a strong result.
Clay, meanwhile, will make her debut at the Tour de France Femmes. The British rider is expected to spend much of the race working in support of her team leaders, but Grand Tours often evolve in unpredictable ways and opportunities can quickly arise. Should Picnic PostNL decide to send riders into breakaways later in the race, Clay may well be given the freedom to race aggressively and gain valuable experience on cycling’s biggest stage.
Alice Towers will represent EF Education-Oatly, bringing valuable stage-racing experience to the American squad. A former British national road champion, Towers is expected to spend much of the race supporting team leader Cédrine Kerbaol in the mountains and throughout the general classification battle. However, her climbing ability and endurance could also earn her greater freedom on some of the tougher stages, particularly if the favourites allow an early breakaway to establish a significant advantage. Those demanding transitional stages may provide her with the best opportunity to produce an eye-catching performance.
Finally, Millie Couzens returns for her second Tour de France Femmes as part of the Fenix-Deceuninck squad. The British rider joins a team capable of competing across a wide variety of terrain, with Charlotte Kool targeting the sprint finishes and Puck Pieterse among the favourites on punchier, more selective stages. That depth means Couzens is likely to adopt a versatile role throughout the race, helping her teammates whenever required while remaining available for breakaways or opportunistic attacks should the tactical situation allow.
