The Race Begins! | Stage 1 Highlights | Lloyds Tour of Britain Women 2026

Before we began today's stage there was a moment to remember Finn Tarling. While racing at the Vuelta a Portugal last Friday, Finn was involved in a tragic accident at just 19 years of age and Finn was a much-loved member of the British cycling community and his loss has been felt deeply across the sport. Today the riders and everyone here at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women took this opportunity to come together and remember Finn and we all send our heartfelt condolences to his teammates, friends, mum, dad, Dawn and Michael and his brother Josh. The racing got underway in Cockermouth and we had our first big move of the day and our first crash of the day as well. Unfortunately Jess Roberts from the Great Britain national team was one of those to come down in the crash. Our first move of the day was from the Smurfet West Rock cycling team. She was going into this race obviously wanting to make her mark, put her sponsor's jersey out there as one of the smaller continental teams and a brave ride it was from Leila Schweitner, the young 22 year old from Austria. The race came back together, it was Georgia Baker from the Live Alula Jayco team on the front marshalling things as we came closer to the anticipation of the wind. The stage today split into three sections, the first 40 kilometres undulating before we hit this coastline. 500 metres to go till the first intermediate sprint of the day and it was Carline Swinkels from the UAE team, Leamad, who took three seconds ahead of her teammate Lara Gillespie and Kim Lecourt-Pannier who took the one second. A big crash happened in the middle of the peloton, unfortunately taking out a few of the riders. Claire Steeles, a British rider, being one of those and unfortunately a few weren't able to get back on the bike. Lieke Nooyen from Visma Lisa Bike, the Dutch national champion was one of those. The race came back together and this was the move from Arabella Blackburn, only 18 years of age from the Hansling Albert development team. Unfortunately she was solo for a while, she really persisted with her effort, trying to measure her effort throughout coming closer to the first categorised climb of the day in Colbeck. A 4.1 kilometre climb, averaging 3.7 per cent, topping out with 66.3 kilometres to go. She was joined by Audrey de Kiersmaeker from the Picnic Post and our team. They joined forces, they worked cohesively together to share that workload. Unfortunately for Arabella, she was stung by a wasp and actually asked for antihistamine on the road. This was the start of the Omoda Queen of the Mountains, our first Queen of the Mountains of the race. Audrey de Kiersmaeker decided to go solo after that wasp sting, unfortunately from Arabella Blackburn of the Hansling development road team. The peloton though were pretty relaxed behind, headed up by Riccardo Baumfein from the Lidl Trek team. And this was the moment that Audrey de Kiersmaeker took the lead in the Queen of the Mountains competition, virtually on the road of the second categorised climb. So she took six points on Colbeck. Arabella Blackburn managed to hold the peloton off before Erika Magnaldi here from the UAE team, LIMAC team, took third, took some points ahead of Dilixin Miamont, Eleonora Gasparini and Marta Troian. Six riders taking points in that first categorised climb of the day. Audrey de Kiersmaeker though attacking at every possible opportunity, wanting to try and extend her lead. And again back to the peloton, there wasn't much impetus, not too much fight yet as we were heading to the second categorised climb of the day. That was Parson B Brow. A 3.7km climb averaging 3.9%, topping out with 36km to go. Kim Lecourt-Pannier, who had a storming ride in the Tour de France AVEC Zwift, really started to ride aggressively and this very select group formed on the second categorised climb of the day. Audrey de Kiersmaeker looking to take points again. She's followed here by Lauren Dixon from the FDJ Suez team. Steffi Havelin on her right-hand side for SD Works Pro Time took maximal points ahead of Lauren Dixon, Audrey de Kiersmaeker, Caroline Anderson, Femke de Vries and Millie Cousins taking the minor points. So that put Audrey de Kiersmaeker in the virtual lead of that competition. Coming into the second intermediate sprint of the day, Mischa Bredeveld was leading out to take maximal points there ahead of Kim Lecourt-Pannier and Carline Spinkles. So starting to set that narrative of those riders trying to find every single second they can on the road. Coming into two kilometres to go, there were attacks going left, right and centre, but SD Works Pro Time had the strength and depth, had the numbers to set up Lorena Vivas perfectly as she took 134th professional stage victory here in Lloyd's Tour of Britain. What a storming victory it was for Lorena Vivas ahead of Chiara Consoni and Josie Nelson rounding off the podium.