There are likely to be no British Continental teams at the Tour of Britain Women next year, due to a UCI rule amendment that effectively stops them from competing in the event.
Announced in July, and taking effect today, the rule prevents Continental teams from taking part in WorldTour events. Instead, only the top two tiers – WorldTeams and ProTeams – are able to compete, as well as one national team from the country of the organiser, in this case the Great Britain national team.
Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Alba team boss Bob Lyons said it is “very disappointing” the teams will no longer be able to take part in the race.
“I fully understand and get the rationale for the change in regulations from a UCI perspective; it brings parity with the men, and there’s the introduction of the ProTeams which makes a level playing field,” he said, but added: “[The Tour of Britain] is the only UCI women’s race in the UK, and it’s a great opportunity to be in the shop window to showcase our capabilities against the best in the world on home soil. That is important.”
This feeling was echoed by Smurfit boss Rick Lister, who fears not competing will make it harder to appeal to potential sponsors. “It’s the biggest race we did this year and last year,” he said. “That’s the only race in the UK that’s televised now.
“[Without us being there] there’s no incentive for British companies to jump on the sponsorship bandwagon.”
The chance of this happening is slim; however, as both Lyons and Lister point out, the Tour of Britain Women has never had a full field. A number of WorldTour teams have skipped the race in recent years, citing post-Brexit complications in travelling to the UK. This June’s edition had 19 teams out of a maximum of 24.
Robyn Clay (left) will join Picnic PostNL in 2026.
(Image credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix)
For the Continental-level riders, races like the Tour of Britain provide a rare chance to challenge themselves against the WorldTour squads. This year, 20 British riders from across the five Continental teams started the race. Two of them have since gone on to sign WorldTour contracts for 2026: Alba’s Lauren Dickson, who is joining FDJ-SUEZ, and DAS-Hutchinson’s Robyn Clay, who is bound for Picnic PostNL.
“I really loved it this year,” Clay told Cycling Weekly when asked about her Tour of Britain debut. “I think I did a decent ride there, and that was probably one of the things that helped me get this pro contract, because I could show that I was able to be up there.”
Speaking to Cycling Weekly earlier this year, Clay’s DAS-Hutchinson sports director Olly Moors said exposing riders to the top level “is what development’s about”. It was in large part for this reason that the team accepted invitations to race the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and the Tour de Suisse this year, unaware that their riders will not be able to do the WorldTour events next season.
Now, with no promise of UCI-level racing in the UK, British teams are looking to events elsewhere. Smurfit boss Lister explained he is in the process of renting a house in Belgium so his team can expand their calendar across mainland Europe next season. Alba did more than 70 race days outside of the UK this year, and plan to do similar going forwards.
One option the teams could pursue to return to the Tour of Britain in the future is stepping up a tier to ProTeam status. Alba hope to do this by 2027, with the main obstacle being the increase in budget requirements. “You’re looking at more than £1.5m, if you’re going to do it properly,” said Lyons – more than seven times his team’s current budget.
Lister said Smurfit is “nowhere near” having the funds to step up.
Smurfit Westrock raced aggressively in breakaways at the 2025 Tour of Britain Women.
(Image credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix)
Alternatively, race organiser British Cycling could drop the event down a tier from WorldTour to ProTour, bringing it level with the Tour of Britain Men, and loosening the entry criteria.
Contacted by Cycling Weekly about this prospect, a British Cycling spokesperson said: “Our commitment is to continue to grow and develop the Lloyds Tour of Britain, so a downgrade from UCI Women’s WorldTour status is not something we are currently considering, however we will continue to discuss these regulation changes and their impact with the UCI to explore how we can continue to support British riders going forwards.”
And so, for the first time since the race’s inception as the Women’s Tour in 2014, there are likely to be no domestic teams at the Tour of Britain Women in August next year.
“It is absolutely ludicrous,” said Lyons. “You look at the other Conti teams in the UK, perhaps not quite all of them, we all support the British cycling scene. We all fly the British flag in what we do, and it is a bit of a kick in the teeth to not be able to ride in that race. Absolutely, there’s no question about that.”
Still, he added: “Our calendar doesn’t revolve around the women’s Tour of Britain… Life goes on, we just get on and do what we do.”
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