World's top cycling teams heading to Stratford for Aviva Women's Tour

THE world’s top ten professional teams will head to Britain this June to line-up for the third edition of the Aviva Women’s Tour, which passes through Stratford-upon-Avon.

As of the latest UCI rankings (17 April) all of the world's top ten teams will be racing led by the world's number one ranked team Wiggle HIGH5 and the Boels Dolmans team of UCI Women's WorldTour leader Lizzie Armitstead.

In total, 14 of the world's top 17 teams will be on the start line in Southwold, Suffolk for Stage One of the Aviva Women's Tour, which will be the first European stage race of the 2016 UCI Women's WorldTour.

Among the other high-profile teams racing will be Rabo Liv, who won the 2014 edition of the race with Marianne Vos, the Canyon SRAM team of defending champion Lisa Brennauer and a Great Britain national team, as they continue their preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

They will be joined by a third British team, the domestic Drops Cycling Team, who have been newly formed for 2016 and will be making their Aviva Women's Tour debut.

The 2016 field will comprise of teams from 11 different countries, including four teams who will be making their Aviva Women's Tour debuts in June as Astana, BTC City Ljubljana and the Cylance Pro Cycling team join Drops in making their first appearance in the race.

The full list of 16 teams for the 2016 Aviva Women's Tour is:

• Ale Cipollini Galassia (Italy)
• Astana Women's Team (Kazakhstan)
• Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (Netherlands) BTC City Ljubljana (Slovenia)
• Canyon SRAM Racing (Germany)
• Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling (Germany)
• Cylance Pro Cycling (USA)
• Drops Racing Team (Great Britain)
• Great Britain national team Hitec Products (Norway)
• Orica AIS (Australia)
• Poitou – Charentes Futuroscope 86 (France)
• Rabo Liv Women's Cycling Team (Netherlands)
• Team Liv Plantur (Netherlands)
• UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling (USA)
• Wiggle HIGH5 (Great Britain)

Each of the 16 teams will field a six-rider team in the Aviva Women's Tour.

Further announcements about the provisional rider line-up will follow during May.

Highlights of each stage, including the Atherstone to Stratford leg on 16th June, will be shown on ITV4.

The second stage which will go through the heart of Warwickshire, passing through the likes of Kenilworth, Warwick and Shipston-on-Stour.

The route will take the riders past both Warwick and Kenilworth castles before finishing the stage in Stratford town centre.