Baloise Ladies Tour

Baloise Ladies Tour is the final competitive checkpoint before the Tour de France Femmes, and the 2026 edition has the right ingredients to make small gaps matter. The official race frame points to a July 15-19 race across the Netherlands and Belgium, starting with an IJzendijke prologue before the peloton moves through Zeeland, West Flanders, East Flanders, Limburg and Antwerp.

Why this race matters

It gives sprinters, lead-out trains and versatile all-rounders one last place to test Tour form without waiting for the biggest race on the calendar.

Route and pressure points

The prologue should put the general classification into seconds immediately. After that, exposed Dutch and Belgian roads can make positioning as valuable as pure sprint speed.

Favorites for the overall

Lorena Wiebes is the sprint benchmark if the race stays controlled, but Elisa Balsamo and Charlotte Kool keep the fast-finisher lane crowded. Zoe Bäckstedt and Lotte Kopecky are more dangerous if the prologue and crosswinds turn the race into a seconds-based GC fight.

What could change the race

If Bäckstedt or Kopecky takes time early, the sprinters’ teams may have to race for more than stage wins. That tension is what makes this more than a simple lead-out rehearsal.

Recent context

Bäckstedt won the 2025 edition, a useful reminder that this race can reward repeat positioning and timed efforts as much as raw finishing speed.