We’re back racing at tomorrow’s AJ Bell Women’s Tour in the UK. The 6-day tour is the final stage race of 2021 and our roster will be Alice Barnes, Hannah Barnes, Elise Chabbey and Ella Harris.

For Ella, it will be her first time racing the Women’s Tour.

“From what I have seen previously, I think that this year’s Women’s Tour is quite different from previous iterations. The road race stages look to be quite open and unpredictable, as there are no real determining features or tough sections that stand out. The TT will likely set GC up, but I think there is still potential for it to be decided on another opportunistic stage also.”

Ella says, “I watched the men’s Tour of Britain recently, and that reminded me that although the profile might not look too difficult on paper, the roads can be a lot more energy-sapping than in Europe with constantly rolling terrain and rougher surfaces. Because of this, I think there will be more of an attritional element to each stage and the legs will likely suffer a lot sooner!”

It will be the first time the tour has an individual time trial which will be seen on stage three over 16km. Combined with a variety of undulating road stages the tour is expected yet again to showcase some exciting finishes.

“I don’t have too many expectations for the tour, but I’m excited and motivated to race in the UK as it feels ever so slightly like home. I would like to give the TT a good crack and see where I am at with that, as well as race aggressively and seek out opportunities in the tougher stages. We have a very small but mighty team and our strengths complement each other well, so I think we can still have a really good week if we play our cards right,” adds Ella.

The tour can be followed on Twitter with #UCIWWT and #WomensTour. There is no live broadcast, but a highlights shown on ITV4, GCN app and Eurosport.

Stage 1 | Bicester – Banbury | 147.7km | 11:15BST |

Stage 2 | Walsall – Walsall | 102.2km | 11:30BST

Stage 3 ITT | Atherstone | 16.6km | First rider 12:01BST

Stage 4 | Shoeburyness – Southend-on-Sea | 117.8km | 11:15BST

Stage 5 | Colchester – Clacton | 95.4km | 11:50BST

Stage 6 | Haverhill – Felixstowe | 155.3km | 11:15BST

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