Ruth Edwards will continue her journey with Human Powered Health through the 2027 season, returning to professional racing after taking 2026 away from competition to give birth to her first son, Hank.
It is the second major comeback of Edwards’ career. After stepping away from road racing at the end of 2021, she returned with Human Powered Health in 2024 and quickly re-established herself at the highest level. Her record in that time includes the overall victory of the 2024 Thüringen Ladies Tour, the Pan American time-trial championships in 2025, and a collection of podium finishes at WorldTour level, including two second-place finishes at the Giro d’Italia Women and a third-place finish on stage 7 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Now, at 33, Edwards is preparing for another new chapter, one that will see her combine professional cycling with life as a mother.
“I’m really excited to come back to racing,” Edwards said. “I’ve had this amazing cycling career, and I’m super excited to continue with Human Powered Health. They showed me a massive amount of encouragement when I returned in 2024, and my results with the team in those two years were no slouch, with a handful of wins and a couple of podiums that I’m really proud of.”
Edwards’ return is another example of what cements her relationship with the team.
“Ruth’s story with our team has always been a special one,” said Ro De Jonckere, General Manager. “She already made an incredible comeback with us after stepping away from road racing at the end of 2021, and now she is preparing for another new chapter as she returns after pregnancy.”
For Edwards, the biggest change since her last comeback isn’t simply returning to the peloton, but the life waiting for her away from it.
“The experience of having a baby is unlike any other,” she said. “It’s the biggest joy, the biggest panic, the biggest anxiety that I’ve experienced so far. I just can’t really remember my life without him, and I’m so excited for every day to wake up and see his little smiling face.”
That perspective has also shaped how Edwards views her return to racing.
“My return now feels even more like a ‘let’s do it because I love it,’” Edwards explains. “I’m so excited about how my career as a cyclist has gone. Now I get to be in this position with the support from a team and my family, and just go after this big goal. And just having Hank be a part of that is really special.”
She also sees the opportunity to approach the sport with greater balance.
“I’m choosing to race my bike, and that’s a really, really cool place that I’m in,” Edwards continues. “If we’re going to make this jump as a family, then I want to do it 100%. I want to give everything I’ve got, but then take a breath and enjoy life and enjoy being with my family and my son off the bike.”
The team is equally excited to have Edwards back.
“We know Ruth well, and we know what she is capable of,” De Jonckere said. “We have no doubt that she will approach this comeback with the same commitment and professionalism that brought her back to the highest level the first time. If her first comeback taught us anything, it’s that you should never underestimate Ruth Edwards.”
Edwards is already looking forward to reconnecting with her teammates and meeting the new faces on the roster when the team gathers at the Human Powered Health Performance Lab in Wellesley, MA in October.
“There’s a lot of new riders on the team. Some of them I’ve been teammates with in the past, some of them I don’t know,” she said. “I’m excited to see my old teammates, catch up because I missed a whole year, and meet the new girls. Boston’s always a fun time meeting the people behind the scenes from the Human Powered Health Labs.”
Edwards has been watching and analyzing the action from her home base in Colorado (Ed. and this author can certainly attest to that) all season and is excited for her return to racing.
“I can’t wait to get back there again and try to fight for some podiums and some stage races,” she said. “Time trials are really exciting to me too, and I want to continue to grow in that discipline. I’m really confident in saying that I think I’m one of the best domestiques that exist in the peloton. I think with these new riders that we have on the team, I’m just really excited to support them and help them grow and get results. I loved racing for Barbara Malcotti so much last year when it was the stage races. And when she needs me, I think I can empty myself on a different level when it’s for a teammate, and I’m just really thrilled to see the growth in the team.”
For Edwards, the opportunity is about embracing both sides of her life, giving everything she has on the bike while making the most of the life she has built away from it.
“I just have this feeling that I can take it a step further,” she said. “I have a lot of faith in myself about where I can go and what I can do. I’m really excited.”
Photos: GettySport and HPHCycling
