Emma Pooley will add her experience to a young Great Britain squad at the Aviva Women’s Tour, which starts in Southwold on June 15.
The 33-year-old is joined by five other riders aged between 18 and 21 for the third edition of the five day race as she aims to convince the selectors she deserves a seat on the plane to the Olympic Games.
Pooley has returned to road racing after a two-year absence in an attempt to qualify for the Olympics and challenge for a gold medal in the hilly time trial in Rio de Janeiro.
She will be joined at the Women’s Tour by Jessie Walker, Grace Garner, Mel Lowther, Annasley Park and Abbie Dentus.
Contenders for the Women’s WorldTour
Great Britain Cycling Team coach, Julian Winn, said: “This year’s Women’s Tour promises to be a fantastic event.
“As one of the races on the new UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar, the Tour will give our riders the chance to gain valuable experience riding against high quality opposition in front of home crowds.”
Defending champion Lisa Brennauer returns to the race with Canyon-SRAM in a team that includes Brit Hannah Barnes, while winner of the Women’s Tour de Yorkshire, Kirsten Wild, lines up for Hitec Products.
Lizzie Armitstead could form part of the Boels Dolmans team for the race, although the squad is yet to be announced. Anna van der Breggen is set to race for Rabo-Liv, while Jolien d’Hoore – second in the general classification last year – will represent Wiggle-High5.
