Kim Le Court rode to redemption at the Lloyds Tour of Britain to become its first African winner – just a year after vowing never to return.
The Mauritian rider crashed out of the 2025 tour but crossed the line in Royal Leamington Spa with the green jersey secured to earn her first-ever UCI Women’s WorldTour race victory.
Having won stage six at the Tour de France Femmes earlier in August, Le Court continued that form to write a far happier ending to her pursuits on British roads.
“Now I can finally say that I feel like I have redeemed myself. I came here to finish on a high and that’s exactly what I did,” said the 30-year-old AG Insurance-Soudal rider.
“I had a bad experience last year and in 2015 I came here and I came dead last, so I didn’t have a good experience at the Lloyds Tour of Britain.
“This was my third try and I said if I do a good tour and finish on a high then I won’t come back, but it’s just a saying. We never know and we’ll see what the new year brings.”
Despite numerous WorldTour stage victories, including on stage one in 2025 and up the Great Orme’s tough ascent on stage three this year, Le Court had previously been unable to prove her pedigree to this degree but used that as motivation.
“It’s really special,” she added. “People always questioned whether I was a GC [general classification] rider or not and it’s good to know.
“Of course, it’s on a smaller scale, but the mental state of it is still high and I’m really happy I could achieve that for myself and the team.”
On the final day, a three-strong group of breakaway riders, including Alice Towers of the Great Britain Cycling Team, threatened Lorena Wiebes’ assault on a fourth stage win as they led for 105km.
But having caught them with less than 5km to go, the Team SD Worx-Protime rider prevailed on the sprint into Royal Leamington Spa to take the record for most stage wins for men or women at the Lloyds Tour of Britain.
Her 11th stage victory at the tour took her clear of Mark Cavendish and proved her status as one of the best sprinters in the women’s peloton after taking the opening two at the Tour de France Femmes at the start of August.
“Winning feels good, so I’m happy to finish this week with four victories. The team worked hard for it, at the end I didn’t have many teammates left, but they did everything they could,” said the 27-year-old.
Scot Lauren Dickson of FDJ United-Suez won the blue Queen of the Mountains jersey after recovering from a crash on stage four, while Belgian Fleur Moors won the Young Rider jersey.
British Cycling is inspiring riders and fans across the country through the Lloyds Tour of Britain, bringing the sport to life and celebrating the joy of cycling through Britain’s biggest free-to-spectate cycling event. Visit britishcycling.org.uk
