We're still sitting in this weird gap where there's no women's top-level racing and only the Tour de France Hommes on TV, but all that ends this week with the Baloise Ladies Tour. In the meantime, FDJ United-Suez dropped news big enough to keep us fed this week and into the start of the Tour de France Femmes...
Abby Mickey | Senior Editor
Racing continues...
From last week: At the Baloise Ladies Tour from July 15 to 19.
Prologue (15th July): Ijzendijke-Ijzendijke (3.9 km)
Stage 1 (16th July): Oostende-Knokke-Heist (112.5 km)
Stage 2 (17th July): Zulte-Zulte (130.4 km)
Stage 3a ITT (18th July): Maaseik-Maaseik (8.4 km)
Stage 3b (18th July): Maaseik-Maaseik (104.8 km)
Stage 4 (19th July): Mechelen-Mechelen (111.4 km)
As you can see from the course profiles, the who's who of sprinters will likely be in attendance, including last year's winner and new British road champion Zoe Bäckstedt.
The start list isn't out yet, but I expect we will also see Shari Bossuyt's new Belgian champ jersey on display, as well as the likes of Charlotte Kool, Clara Copponi, and Chiara Consonni.
Not all WorldTour teams are set to race; the peloton will be mostly Continental teams, which will make for a nice "who should we be watching for in the future" game.
The start list will be available here, probably early next week.
Wheel Talk podcast
I am super excited to share this week's episode! After announcing her pregnancy and the end of her 2026 season, I spoke with Elise Chabbey about finding out she was pregnant days before the Giro d'Italia and how she processed the sudden change of plan.
Let's discuss
The significance of Kate Courtney joining the WorldTour.
Did we do a good job with this story?
