There will be more British teams than ever at next month's Tour of Britain Women, with all six of the country's Continental squads set to take part.
Alba Development Road Team, DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK, Doltcini-O’Shea, Hess Cycling Team, Lifeplus-Wahoo and Pro-Noctis - 200° Coffee - Hargreaves Contracting have all been invited to start the four-day WorldTour event, the organiser announced on Friday.
The race, born out of the Women's Tour and now organised by British Cycling, will begin in Welshpool on 6 June.
"It's exciting for everybody," Alba team manager Bob Lyons told Cycling Weekly. "I think if you went back a few years and said, 'In two or three years' time, the Women's Tour of Britain will have six British-based teams.' I don't think anybody would have believed that.
"It's a big opportunity to ride. I'd say the biggest thing is the experience that comes for the riders. It gives them an opportunity to take that step further, in what will be a much stronger field, to see where they sit."
The rest of the participating teams are yet to be revealed, with an announcement expected next week; however, as a WorldTour event, all of the top-tier teams will have received an invite.
For Alba and Pro-Noctis, the race will be their first ever at WorldTour level. Rick Lister, Pro-Noctis team manager, said he received the invite to race the Tour of Britain around six weeks ago, in a personal email from British Cycling's CEO, Jon Dutton.
"We want to do well for the sponsors," said Lister. "I don't think we'll be challenging to win it, but it'd be nice to get some riders on the TV. We'll do our best to try and show our face there and help promote the team."
This year, the number of British women's teams registered at UCI Continental level doubled, increasing from three to six. Speaking to Cycling Weekly ahead of the season, Lyons and other team managers said it was a sign that the women's racing scene is getting stronger in the UK.
The latest Tour of Britain teams announcement, Lyons said, "just emphasises again the great place women's cycling is in".
"You just have to look back at the women's National Series this season so far," the Alba boss added. "It's been fantastic racing. Very high quality, very fast, very hard, and a step up. Lincoln GP at the weekend was the fastest women's Lincoln GP ever by a mile."
The four-stage Tour of Britain Women begins in Welshpool on 6 June and finishes in Leigh on 9 June. There were doubts as to whether the race would go ahead this year, following the liquidation of its former organiser, SweetSpot, but it has since been guaranteed by British Cycling.
