Reigning World and Olympic Road Race Champion Marianne Vos will take part in The Women's Tour this May, Britain's first UCI ranked international stage race for women.
The news marks the first high profile rider announcement for the inaugural race, which takes places from 7th to 11th May, with Vos' Rabobank Liv team currently ranked number one in the UCI's world rankings.
Vos will be returning to compete on British roads for the first time since winning Olympic Gold in London 2012. The Dutch rider is widely acknowledged as the greatest ever female cyclist, having won World titles on the road, track and in cyclo-cross, plus Olympic Gold in the former two.
Commenting on The Women's Tour, which forms an important part of her 2014 race programme, Marianne Vos said;
"It's great that we get a big new stage race on our calendar with The Women's Tour. The times that I've raced in Great Britain – with of course the London Olympic Games fresh in my mind – I have been amazed by the huge crowds and the enthusiastic people. I'm sure it will be a fantastic event and I'm looking forward to competing here with the best riders from all over the World.”
The Women's Tour will take place over five stages between Wednesday 7th and Sunday 11th May, beginning in Northamptonshire with an opening stage from Oundle to Northampton.
Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire will all host subsequent stages in the event, before the final stage finish in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
A promotional video for The Women's Tour 2014 can be found here http://youtu.be/JRc79kVeVWY