Lloyds Tour of Britain Women 2026: Preview and Favorites, Wiebes and Kopecky Lead the Challenge

A WorldTour Challenge in Great BritainOn Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will get underway, a WorldTour race held entirely in Great Britain. The event is one of the most anticipated appointments in the international women's calendar, with a very high-level start list.Details of the route have not been provided in our database, but the race is expected to be fought on multiple fronts: sprinters will try to prevail on flat stages, while climbers will look to make a difference on the more demanding sections.The Big Names on the Start LineAmong the 82 riders entered, the names of the main WorldTour teams stand out. Team SD Worx - Protime fields a luxury trio with Lorena Wiebes, Lotte Kopecky and Blanka Vas. CANYON//SRAM responds with Kasia Niewiadoma, Zoe Bäckstedt and Chiara Consonni. Attention is also on Paula Blasi and Karlijn Swinkels of UAE Team L'IMAD, as well as Riejanne Markus (Lidl - Trek) and Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance - Soudal Team).Results from This SeasonThe protagonists arrive at the British event with an impressive track record. Lorena Wiebes won the In Flanders Fields - Wevelgem and finished sixth in Paris-Roubaix Femmes. Lotte Kopecky took victory in Milano-Sanremo Donne and secured two fourth places, in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. Kasia Niewiadoma has collected prestigious placings in the Ardennes classics: second in the Amstel Gold Race, third in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and fourth in Flèche Wallonne.Among others, Paula Blasi won the Amstel Gold Race and the Durango Durango Emakumeen Saria, while Karlijn Swinkels stepped onto the podium in In Flanders Fields - Wevelgem (third) and finished sixth in both the Amstel and the Tour of Flanders. Zoe Bäckstedt has shown great form with a fifth place in the Tour of Flanders and a fourth in Dwars door Vlaanderen. Chiara Consonni took a fifth place in Scheldeprijs Women, while Nienke Veenhoven was second in Scheldeprijs and third in Ronde Van Brugge.Favorites for the Overall VictoryIn light of the season's results, the number one favorite is Lorena Wiebes: her speed and consistency make her the ideal candidate for sprints and the general classification. Right behind, Lotte Kopecky appears the most complete, capable of winning both in sprints and on hilly terrain. Kasia Niewiadoma is the main threat on mountain stages, while Paula Blasi and Karlijn Swinkels can aim for a podium thanks to their consistency.Also worth watching are Zoe Bäckstedt, Nienke Veenhoven and Fleur Moors, who have already shown they can compete at the highest level.UAE Team L'IMAD fields six riders, including young prospect Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini, who could play her cards in the sprints.