Cat Ferguson injuries worse than thought, with consequences for Tour de France Femmes debut

Cat Ferguson's summer has taken a cruel turn. Movistar have confirmed that the 20-year-old will miss both this week's British National Championships and her planned Tour de France Femmes debut. What was originally thought to be a sprained ankle has now been confirmed as two fractures in her ankle, meaning Ferguson will be “on crutches for minimum three weeks”.

The injury dates back to the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia Women in late May, where Ferguson crashed and abandoned. She was initially checked for a possible traumatic brain injury and multiple contusions. But her recovery stalled over the following three weeks, and further tests "revealed the existence of two fractures in the ankle," the team said. She now faces several weeks on the sidelines, and reportedly a minimum of three more weeks on crutches.

It is a painful setback in what has been a standout second pro season. Ferguson has already won three times in 2026 — the Trofeo Llucmajor, a stage at the Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Navarra Women's Elite Classic. Ferguson also finished runner up in her category at the Traka Gravel Race in Girona in early May.

The Giro was set to be an audition for her first Tour de France Femmes, but the crash ended her debut before the race had even really begun. While she had made the long list for the Movistar Tour de France Femmes team, which begins in Lausanne on 1 August, this latest news forces a rethink. The double junior world champion posted on social media that she was "heartbroken" to miss the summer's biggest races.

A natural target would be the Tour of Britain Women, which starts on 19 August — the race where she claimed her maiden WorldTour victory last year. Movistar, for their part, ended their statement with a simple message of support for their young rider.