Elisa Balsamo, winner of an unforgettable UCI world championships road race in Belgium on Saturday, will show off the iconic rainbow jersey at this year’s AJ Bell Women’s Tour.

The Valcar – Travel & Service rider will make her debut in the UK’s leading women’s race when it begins in Bicester, Oxfordshire, on Monday (4 October).

Famed for her sprint finish, Balsamo could become the first reigning world champion to win a road stage of the race since Lizzie Deignan in 2016 should she triumph on British roads next week.

Her Italian compatriots Martina Alzini, Vittoria Guazzini, Elena Pirrone and Silvia Pollicini, alongside French rider Margaux Vigie, complete the provisional Valcar – Travel & Service line-up for the race.

[jwplayer 4CTIMhwM]

Video: Balsamo outsprints 2014 AJ Bell Women’s Tour champion Marianne Vos to win the UCI world championships road race in Leuven, Belgium

Balsamo is the second newly-crowned world champion confirmed to be competing at the AJ Bell Women’s Tour: Ellen van Dijk (Trek – Segafredo), who won the time trial title on 20 September in Bruges, will also be in action. The race’s provisional start list will be revealed this evening (Wednesday 29 September).

The AJ Bell Women’s Tour is sponsored by AJ Bell, one of the UK’s leading online investment platforms, helping people invest for the long term via ISAs, pensions and general investment accounts.  It has a rich history of supporting elite level sport including badminton, cricket, rugby, squash and triathlon, and recently sponsored the men’s AJ Bell Tour of Britain in September, won by Wout van Aert.