15.07.2025 World-Tour, Continental, News, Race news

BALOISE BOUND: BACK TO THE BENE REGION

Sandwiched between the two Grand Tours of Italy and France is the UCI 2.1 Baloise Ladies Tour – 482 kilometres split across five days of classics-style racing, but in summer rather than spring conditions.

The squad unafraid of winds, fast flats, cobbles, punchy climbs, and constant battles for position in ever-changing directions across the Netherlands and Belgium are Zoe Bäckstedt, Nastya Kolesava and Maria Martins, plus Generation riders Awen Roberts and Joëlle Messemer.

Zoe showed seriously impressive form when she was crowned British Elite National Time Trial Champion in late June, and she’ll be hoping to channel that individual effort prowess into a strong overall result by the end of the week.

“⁠I’m not aiming for anything super specific at Baloise – it’s going to be a nice stage race! But I think I can target a good result in the prologue and TT for sure. Obviously, I’d love to do well in the overall, but there are some strong riders here this week!”

She’s both motivated and excited heading into a tour raced close to home in Belgium.

“What am I looking forward to – many things! Getting to wear my new British champs TT suit (twice), racing on home roads, sunshine (hopefully), but most of all getting to race as a mix of WorldTeam and Generation riders!”

The tour typically opens with a short prologue and this year will be no different, with a very brief trip into the Netherlands. A snappy and painful 3km, packed with four corners and a roundabout, will stand between the riders and the longer 127km road stages on days two and three. The first finishes on the coast in Knokke-Heist, a town often featured in races around this region. The latter is centered more south-east, traversing many of the same roads as Flandrien classics like Nokere Koerse, with no shortage of cobbles and punchy climbs despite a modest 622m of climbing.

Day four follows an old Baloise Ladies Tour tradition – a morning 94km road stage followed by a 10km individual time trial in the evening. Both take place around the East Flandrien town of Maldegem, with the time trial course doubling as the final finishing circuit of the morning race. Riders will therefore become pretty familiar with the route. Stage four, confusing held on day five, is a five-lap circuit starting and finishing in Zwevegem, featuring just under 1000m of climbing – saving the hilliest course for last.

Although prologue gaps are usually just a handful of seconds, some riders manage to eke out a small but significant advantage that they can then build on in the days that follow. The prologue effort, combined with the relatively short time trial, and the flat, punchy stages, tend to favour faster, more explosive riders. That said, the overall classification often comes down to a mix of sprinters who can accumulate bonus seconds and deliver strong individual efforts, time trialists who put in commanding performances while minimising bonus second losses, or occasionally, successful breakaways that infiltrate the GC.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live coverage is available on Eurosport, Discovery Plus, TNT Sports and the Pickx livestream. Stay updated on X with #BaloiseLT25, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s social channels for the latest team news.

Overview