
Lily Williams called it “bonkers,” Evy Kuijpers said it was “crazy,” and Henrietta Christie described it as “beautifully hard,” so it’s fair to say that last week’s Women’s Tour certainly left its mark.
Human Powered Health also left a mark in Britain though. Whether it was Marit Raaijmakers competing in the early sprints, Nina Buijsman’s quest for GC, Christie’s breaks or Mieke Kröger’s final day attack on the roads to Oxford, the team came away with some crucial form in the buildup to July’s big event, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
“Personally I’ve gotten my race legs back during the tour,” Kröger said afterwards. “It took me quite some time to be able to dig deep again so I’m happy I did not give up.”
Relive the action from the UK with our gallery of images from the Women’s WorldTour race.
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- With her ties to the local area, including her aunt, uncle and grandmother attending the stage, New Zealander Henrietta Christie was the talk of the town.
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- Every rider was given a pink ribbon from British charity Breast Cancer Now with a message from someone who accesses their services.
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- Having attacked in the final stages, Williams and her breakaway partner were only just caught inside the final K on stage two.
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- Kuijpers and Williams fight their way back into the peloton on stage three with the help of Christie.
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- Buijsman finishes in the group in Welshpool having fought her way to the head of the race over the hills.
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- Kuijpers makes sure to activate her legs before the tough Welsh stage by riding on the Wahoo Fitness Kickr.
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- The Welsh dragon flies on the roads to the stage five hilltop finish… note, we’re not in England anymore.
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- Kuijpers laments missing hers but Christie is soon on hand, radio’ing in and going back to the team car for one more.
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- Kröger gets going on stage six, a day that saw her join a strong three-rider breakaway and nearly contest for victory in Oxford.
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- They answered questions on how they got into the sport and how they tie their hair up under their helmets among other things.
Next up on the road to Paris, after national championships week, it’s back-to-back Belgian stage races as the team take on the Lotto Belgium Tour from June 28–30 and then the Baloise Ladies Tour from July 13–17. Follow all the updates via our social media as we bring the Human Powered Health seven pillars of performance message to a worldwide audience.
Feature image from Sprint Cycling Agency.