Your Monday Briefing

After several years competing in triathlon and duathlon, British rider Lauren Dickson made her road racing debut in April 2024. Since then, she’s been representing the Handsling Alba Development Road Team – one of the smallest squads in the peloton – at the recent Tour of Britain Women, marking her first-ever appearance in a WorldTour race. Despite being new to this level, Dickson has made an immediate impact in her debut season. She claimed a standout victory at the Lincoln Grand Prix and impressed with a third-place overall finish at the Tour of Norway, where she held her own against seasoned WorldTour riders. Her rapid rise hasn’t gone unnoticed, with several WorldTour teams interested in helping her make the leap up to the sport’s highest tier in 2026.

Lidl-Trek rider Lucinda Brand has been forced to take a break from racing since her last appearance at Amstel Gold Race, due to a parasite infection that has significantly impacted her ability to train and recover. The former cyclocross World Champion revealed on her Instagram that she is currently undergoing treatment with antibiotics, but the road to recovery has been slower than anticipated. “I had hoped to be back on the bike and racing again by now, but unfortunately, this infection has really knocked me down,” Brand wrote. “The antibiotics are helping, but I need to be patient and give my body the time it needs to fully recover.” While there is currently no clear timeline for her return, Lidl-Trek has expressed support for her recovery process, emphasising her health as the top priority.

The 2025 Tour of Britain marked the final time Lizzy Deignan raced on home soil, closing a significant chapter in an illustrious career. She has competed in the Tour of Britain eight times. Over the course of Deignan’s career, she amassed 43 victories, including some of the sport’s most prestigious titles: the World Road Race Championships, the Tour of Flanders, and the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift. Since turning professional in 2007, she has been a central figure in the transformation of women’s cycling, witnessing and helping to drive improvements in race opportunities, working conditions, and athlete development.

Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) has made an impressive return to competition following surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis. The Australian climber underwent the procedure in December and spent the early part of 2025 training in her home country as she gradually built back to race fitness. Her comeback began at the end of May at the Tour of Norway where she donned a race number for the first time this season alongside her new team. Just days later, she stepped up to her first WorldTour event of the year, lining up at the Tour de Suisse. She wasted no time in showcasing her trademark climbing strength. On Stage 1, which featured the grueling ascent of the Juanpass, she delivered a powerful performance to claim the mountains classification jersey, an early signal that she is back on track and ready to contend in the high mountains once again.

Demi Vollering was relegated and fined by race officials for celebrating behind FDJ-SUEZ teammate Loes Adegeest during the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya Femenina. Her gesture violated a new UCI rule introduced for the 2025 season, which prohibits riders from endangering others by celebrating or deliberately slowing during a sprint finish. As a result, she received a 100 Swiss franc fine, lost UCI points, and was relegated from sixth to 58th place on the stage. However, the penalty did not impact her overall victory. She secured the general classification by 2:08 minutes ahead of teammate Elise Chabbey, with Marion Bunel of Visma-Lease a Bike finishing third.

Nearly half of all teenage girls quit sports during adolescence. World Champion Lotte Kopecky has teamed up with Always for their ‘Like a Girl’ campaign to encourage young girls to stay in sport and fulfill their potential. In a short film, Kopecky writes a letter to her younger self offering words of encouragement. She reflects on the challenges she faced growing up and reminds her younger self never to give up or apologise for her ambition. As a champion on the road and a role model off it as well, the Belgian star hopes her message will inspire girls everywhere to keep pushing forward. Through this campaign, Kopecky and Always aim to redefine what it means to do things ‘Like a Girl’ with strength, pride, and perseverance.

The UCI has approved the 2026 calendar for the UCI Women’s WorldTour, featuring 28 events across 11 countries on three continents, totalling 77 days of racing. Notably, the calendar includes the addition of a new race to the WorldTour calendar: the women’s edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen – À travers la Flandre, scheduled for 1 April. Previously part of the UCI ProSeries, this race will now run alongside the men’s UCI WorldTour event on the same day. The 2026 season will begin in January in Australia with the Santos Tour Down Under and conclude on 18 October with the Tour of Guangxi in China. Further details can be found here.

British Cycling is planning to add to the number of stages of the Women’s Tour of Britain, which is currently four days long. The organisation sees the Tour of Britain as central to their plans to develop a larger portfolio of British Cycling-run events across several disciplines. British Cycling is aiming to organise high profile events in track cycling, BMX freestyle and cyclo-cross, suggesting that the governing body will look to bring a round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup back to British soil for the first time since 2014. The organisation wants to fuse together elite events, creating visibility and enabling them to acheive more, including getting people on bikes and giving them great experiences.

Molly Weaver, a former pro rider who left professional racing years ago after a serious crash, has set her sights on the challenge of the British coastline circumnavigation record. The record for a 7,730km ride with 70,000m of elevation gain, completed in just three weeks, has stood unchallenged since 1981and has never before been attempted by a female ride. Starting and finishing in London, she set out to ride an ambitious 370 km each day, all while raising funds for the Lifeboats charity.

The 23rd edition of the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche will take place from 9 to 14 September. The race will feature six stages, including an individual time trial. The event will kick off in the Gard department, with a stage designed around Laudun-l’Ardoise. Once again, there will be a summit finish at Mont Lozère on stage 5 and with the last stage finishing in Privas after a 100 km race. The winner will succeed Thalita De Jong, who won the last edition of the race.

GreenEDGE Cycling has announced a new strategic partnership agreement with the Saudi Cycling Federation, marking a significant step forward in the development of cycling in Saudi Arabia. The collaboration aims to support the growth of both men’s and women’s cycling in the country, aligning with the presence of GreenEDGE’s UCI Women’s WorldTour and Continental teams. Notably, Saudi Arabia’s first female cyclist, Moroj Adil, is currently racing with the Australian-based Liv AlUla Jayco Continental squad, highlighting early progress in women’s cycling within the region.

Several European national federations have raised concerns in recent months over the soaring costs of competing at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda. Nathalia Clauwaert, CEO of Belgian Cycling, stated that the overall expenses for sending a team are now more than double what they were for the 2022 Worlds in Australia, an event already considered logistically and financially demanding. In response to the criticism, the President of the Rwandan Cycling Federation confirmed that organisers have taken steps to ease the financial burden on national teams. These include arranging charter flights to Kigali and increasing coordination with local hotels to secure more affordable accommodation. Despite the efforts, cost remains a significant barrier for smaller federations.