Trends come and go each year, and keeping up with them can be quite a task. In case you weren't aware, tartan is the print to be seen wearing this autumn.
The trusty check print has returned for AW26, nodding to the heritage trend that we often see our favourite royal ladies embrace. From flannel shirts to sleek coats, tartan is here to stay.
The tartan print is often embraced by the royal family (@ Getty Images)
Someone who has embraced this trend for many years is the Princess of Wales. The mother-of-three has a huge collection of tartan pieces - in fact, it's her most-worn print aside from polka dots, of course.
Tartan print is the go-to fashion statement this autumn

#trend #often #trends #getty

Image source: The Motley Fool.
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET
Chief Financial Officer - Balaji Gandhi
Chief Executive Officer - Chaim Indig
Operator: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Phreesia Second Quarter Fiscal 2027 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] First, I would like to introduce Balaji Gandhi, Phreesia's Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Gandhi, you may begin.

#gandhi

Tyrone All-Ireland winner Conor Meyler said his concern over the planned merger of the GAA, Camogie ******* ociation and Ladies Gaelic Football ******* ociation [LGFA] is that the issue "is going to be thrown to the wayside again".
In February 2024, the three bodies announced plans to merge into one organisation by 2027.
However, in recent days, chairperson of the Steering Group Dr Mary McAleese stepped down, while a recent letter sent by the GAA's Integration Committee said it could no longer commit to that timeline.
"I don't doubt her [McAleese's] ability and leadership in any stretch," Meyler told BBC Sport NI's Mark Sidebottom.
"I just don't think she surrounded herself with the right board composition to actually get it done or she didn't have the power in the position to actually get things done within the three ******* ociations that she wanted and that's probably really disappointing because I know she was wholeheartedly going into this trying to make it happen.

#actually #tyrone

Let's be brutally honest, ladies. If someone had told us back in 1996 that Pamela Anderson - the slow-motion running, red-swimsuit-wearing, ultimate 90s bombshell - would one day become our leading philosophical guru for embracing midlife, we probably would have choked on our Diet ******* es. But here we are, fiercely navigating our own second acts, and surprisingly, it's Pam who is serving up exactly the kind of rebellious, bare-faced wisdom we didn't know we desperately needed.
Pamela Anderson keeps her makeup-free philosophy as she attends the amfAR Gala Venezia 2026 (@ Getty Images for amfAR)
Who can forget that Pamela was the poster girl for an impossible standard of hyper-glamorous beauty. With the heavy lip liner, bleach, and frosted eyeshadow, she really went for the more-is-more approach to beauty. But in more recent years? She has gloriously changed tack. She has stepped onto the world's most heavily photographed, judgmental red carpet arenas completely makeup-free (or minimally made-up sometimes). She lets her freckles shine, her fine lines show, and her natural skin breathe. And honestly, the collective sigh of relief from women over 50 could be heard from ******* e.
Pamela Anderson went for a more is more approach back in the nineties (@ WireImage)
Because let's face it: the 'anti-ageing' industry is downright exhausting. We are constantly bombarded with marketing campaigns telling us to freeze, fill, lift, and aggressively scrub away every single sign that we have actually had the audacity to live past our fortieth birthdays. It's a relentless, outrageously expensive treadmill. We are commanded to fight aging as if it's a disease, rather than the profound privilege it actually is.

#makeup #free #amfar

Taylor Swift may have made her "cat lady" jab years ago, but the remark is still producing unexpected reactions. This time, it was JD Vance's mother, Beverly Vance, who found herself discussing the "Blank ******* e" singer's words in a recent interview. She admitted that she had "no idea" Swift was referring to her son when she used the phrase. In fact, Beverly said she did not make the connection until the interviewer explained it to her.
JD Vance and Taylor Swift became connected by a political remark that resurfaced during the 2024 presidential race. Swift appeared to reference JD's earlier "childless cat ladies" comment when she endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
However, Beverly Vance apparently did not realize the meaning behind Swift's words. During an appearance on Tomi Lahren Is Fearless, Beverly was asked whether it was strange to see Swift make a political statement connected to something her son had said years earlier.
Her response came with a laugh. "I had no idea that's what she was even doing," Beverly said. She explained that she did not make the connection until Lahren pointed it out. "I didn't even put the two together," she added.
The original remark dates back to 2021. At the time, JD was running for the U.S. Senate and appeared in an interview with Tucker Carlson. He criticized Democratic leaders and described them as "a bunch of childless cat ladies" who were allegedly unhappy with their lives and choices.

#make #taylor #time

The Princess of Wales is always perfectly poised at royal events, the epitome of grace and composure.
But there was a time when her composure momentarily slipped at a charity event - and resulted in one of our favourite videos of the future queen.
The event took place back in December 2014, when Kate was still the **** ss of Cambridge. She and Prince William travelled for a three-day official visit to the United States, centered primarily in New York City.
One of her engagements saw Kate visit the Northside Center for Child Development where she joined a group of women to help wrap Christmas presents for underprivileged children.
The royal was warmly greeted upon her arrival and, after taking her seat in front at the wrapping station, turned to chat to some of the other ladies in the room.

#kate #Event #duchess

Something isn't right with Shohei Ohtani. It has been obvious to Dodgers fans for a couple of weeks, and is finally became apparent to the team. So, for the last four nights, Ohtani has found himself on the bench, resting his injured left knee and balky right biceps. The team is now considering whether or not to put him on the injured list.
Both of these injuries have kept Ohtani off the mound since July 3rd. But, for a while, the maladies did not truly affect his offense. In fact, in the first 35 games after his last pitching appearance, Ohtani slashed .309/.366/.626, with eleven home runs and nine doubles.
But since the day he hit two home runs in Denver against the Rockies — a run of 13 games — he is slashing a mere .137/.290/.255, with one double, triple, and homer. And on Wednesday night against the Cardinals, he struck out four times. That brought his batting average down to .279, his lowest mark since May 30th. But it was not just the four punch outs, it was how he looked in those at-bats. Ohtani, who typically unleashes ferocious swings, matching power with power, looked overmatched and out of sorts. He looked diminished, off-balance, and considerably less than 100%.
Last month Ohtani started a throwing program to get him back on the mound as soon as possible. After a handful of good bullpen sessions, the pain in the right knee raised its head again, and Los Angeles was forced to shut down their two-way star. While in Detroit last week, manager Dave Roberts stated that "if any pitcher was feeling like this, we wouldn't run him out there," so neither will his $700 million star.
But there was hope that once the thought of (and thus the training necessary to) pitching again was off the table, Shohei would get back in the groove in the batter's box. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, whose offense has been in a funk for more than a month, that has not been the case. He has two singles since that time, one at 66-mph and one at 78-mph — a far cry from the 100-mph+ that fans have become accustomed to from the slugger (according to Savant, his 93.2-mph average exit velocity is in the 97th percentile).

#shohei

Whether you know her as Victoria "Vic" Hughes on the ABC procedural drama "Station 19" or Emily Henderson on Netflix's adaptation of "Little House on the Prairie," Barrett Doss is a familiar face on small screens. Now, if you've wondered what the leading ladies of Netflix's "Little House on the Prairie" look like in real life, we're here to tell you that Doss is not only beautiful but also incredibly fashionable.
The actor, who had her breakthrough on an episode of the sitcom "30 Rock" in 2013, has attended numerous industry events over the years, and at all of them her bold fashion choices have been at the center of attention. While minimalist and neutral clothing tends to look great on many, Doss has shown over the years that she prefers a loud and colorful 'fit. From neon pantsuits to eye-catching colorblocking, here are some of the star's best fashion moments over the years.
Read more: The Worst-Dressed Celebs In Oscars History
Andrew Toth/Getty
Barrett Doss showed up to a May 2019 event held by Entertainment Weekly and People in New York City in a fun periwinkle-blue number. The silhouette instantly reminds us of the dress trend of the '60s, which has since made a comeback. However, unlike classic mod dresses, Doss' featured long sleeves. The actor paired the piece with white boots and red lips, leaning into the retro aesthetic even more. Allowing her curly hair to shine, Doss drew attention to it with statement earrings, completing the fun red carpet look.

#House #prairie #here #fashion

NEW YORK — As the clock struck midnight in Queens, Sofia Kenin and Venus Williams had yet to play a single point on Arthur Ashe Stadium, as the previous five-set match between Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone went four hours and 36 minutes, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion being sent packing in the first round of a major for the first time in 20 years.
The ladies took the court a mere 10 minutes after the calendar turned to Aug. 31, and when the crowd had finished rubbing their eyes, yawning, and trying to stay awake, Kenin dispatched the 46-year-old two-time US Open champion 6-2, 7-6.
Because of the late start, the match was supposed to be moved to Louis Armstrong Stadium, but both players said they wanted to stay at the original venue at Ashe.
Williams was making her 26th main-draw appearance at the US Open and still had a doubles tournament to play in with her sister, Serena, after receiving a wild card to compete, just as in her singles entry. She was also making her 96th Grand Slam appearance, the most in the Open Era.

#open #stadium #match

Footage of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C. in August raised eyebrows online, with many social media users speculating about some seemingly tense moments between the couple.
The videos circulating show the Trumps sitting together in a suite at the race and exchanging some words, after which Melania gets up from her seat and walks away.
Life: Body Language Experts Spot Something In This Wild Clip Of Trump Dictating Tweets To Natalie Harp
When compared to previous first ladies (and even her first four years in the role), Melania has been conspicuously absent from public life during Trump's second term. But after more than a month with no appearances, she emerged again last week ― a return that seems to have attracted extra attention amid the growing interest in the president's aide, Natalie Harp.
Of course, silent footage filmed through glass from a distance can only tell us so much. But body language experts who have observed the couple for many years now say the way they are engaging speaks volumes.

#language

Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Note: It was 58 years ago (Aug. 27, 1968) that I first reported for work at United Press International in Chicago, five floors above the Billy Goat Tavern. I've been writing for the company continuously ever since. Sunday will be the 45th anniversary of the first horse race I covered for UPI -- the inaugural Arlington Million.
It's a good thing it's a quiet week on the international front because the North American horse racing schedule is jam packed with goodies. There are five Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races and three others that offer purses of $1 million or more.
One of those seven-figure purses is the $1.25 million Grade I Travers at Saratoga, the "Midsummer Derby" with Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo seeking a virtual lock on year-end honors.
Another is the $1.75 million Grade I Ladies Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs, where the advertised purses are for Kentucky-breds. Others run for reduced amounts. The third is Friday's $1 million Grade II Charles Town Classic in West Virginia.
The Travers is one of the few remaining chances for 3-year-olds to run against their peers before trying their luck with older horses.

#million #purses #derby

Leeds United Women begin their FA WNL Cup campaign with a visit to rivals Halifax Women in Group T on Thursday evening.
The two sides meet in the cup for the second season running, after a 1-0 win for the Whites at Garforth last term where Darcie Greene's incredible solo goal proved the difference.
Last time out for Leeds was a convincing 3-0 win on the road at Chester-le-Street Town Ladies with Amy Woodruff netting a hattrick to guarantee the three points and take home the match ball.
The centre-forward had the Whites in the driving seat at the break after converting instinctively from Darcie Greene's mazy run down the left flank, before bagging two more in the closing stages of the match - another Greene cross tap-in and a glancing header.
The hosts are coming into the clash off the back of a 4-2 win over Norton and Stockton Ancients on home turf, having three first half goals complimented by a stoppage time fourth.

#darcie #three #match

Stephen A. Smith might agree with the stance that trans athletes should not play in the WNBA, but even he can't defend Enes Kanter's recent actions.
The debate over trans athletes in the WNBA continues spiralling every day, with former NBA player Enes Kanter specifically using the situation to declare for the WNBA Draft to force changes to the WNBA CBA.
Kanter escalated the situation by attending the Sky vs. Fever game on Sunday as a courtside fan who was later removed from the arena after an incident with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
Smith took to his personal show to discuss Kanter's behaviour, criticising the 33-year-old for agitating the on-court players when they are just trying to do their jobs.
"What Enes Kanter did, although he had every right to do it… I think Enes Kanter was very wrong. It was a classless thing for him to do, because the ladies who are playing have nothing to do with this, and they don't deserve to be agitated."

#WNBA #every

After winning their league last season, the Black Country Youth County Darts team is riding high.
"It's just gone from strength to strength," team manager Andy Poole told BBC Radio WM.
Last season, the team had 28 players but has since grown to 33 for the forthcoming season, as well as increasing its number of female players from four to seven.
"One of the most difficult things in darts is getting the ladies playing, so we're very blessed to be going into this season with seven," Poole said.
As well as the overall team, the Coseley-based group, which was established in 2023, has a female-only team, as well as under-18s and under-21s teams.

#team #last #players

Footage of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., has been raising eyebrows online, with many social media users speculating about some seemingly tense moments between the couple.
The videos circulating online show the Trumps sitting together in a suite at the race and exchanging some words, after which Melania gets up from her seat and walks away.
Life: Kaitlan Collins' Body Language In THAT Trump Exchange Was A Master Class In Dealing With Bullies
When compared to previous first ladies (and even her first four years in the role), Melania has been conspicuously absent from public life during Trump's second term. But after more than a month with no appearances, she emerged again last week ― a return that seems to have attracted extra attention amid the growing interest in the president's aide, Natalie Harp.
Of course, silent footage filmed through glass from a distance can only tell us so much. But body language experts who have observed the couple for many years now say the way they are engaging speaks volumes.

#footage #many

Originally appeared on E! Online
Jenna Bush Hager is sharing an inside look at a special moment in time.
The Today anchor gave a sweet update on her family's summer celebrations, posting a rare multigenerational photo of the six ladies in the Bush brood during a vacation at the family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Alongside an Aug. 23 Instagram carousel, Jenna referenced the lyrics from the 2020 Taylor Swift song "august," writing, "I can see us lost in the memory, August slipped away into a moment in time."
The first photo featured the 44-year-old posing with the lovely ladies in her life, including her mom Laura Bush, twin sister Barbara Bush, her niece Cora, along with her and husband Henry Hager's daughters Mila, 13, and Poppy, 10.

#moment

Leeds United Women hit the road for the first time this campaign as they travel to County Durham to face Chester-le-Street Town Ladies in the FA WNL Division One North.
Following a rampant 7-0 opening day win over Thornaby Women the week prior, Simon Wood has named an unchanged starting XI for the clash, but with one change on the bench as summer signing Abi Coley makes the squad.
New addition Holly Mears once again starts in goal, with a back four of Darcie Greene, Emily Cassidy, Izzy Dean and skipper Shauna Legge ahead of her.
Alice Hughes, Ellie White and Abbie Langstaff make up the midfield three, proceeded by a frontline of Chloe Dixon, Amy Woodruff and Drew Greene.
On the bench, goalkeeper pair of Carrie Simpson and Charlotte Oates are joined by Kath Smith, Ella Harris and Alayna Millard, as well as fresh face Coley who is involved for the first time.

#women #leeds #county

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 30: Serena Williams of United States prepares to serve against Maya Joint of Australia during their Ladies' Singles first round match on day two of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are teaming up next week at the U.S. Open.'
The star-studded duo will play in the Mixed Doubles event running Tuesday-Wednesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Williams, 44, is also mulling a return in singles and could take the final Wild Card in the women's draw. Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles ***** les, including six at the U.S. Open. She last played at the Open in 2022, losing a third-round singles match to Ajla Tomljanović 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1. At the time, she said she was "evolving away from tennis" to focus on her family.
Her older sister, Venus, was already granted a Wild Card into this year's singles draw. It remains unclear if the sisters will also play doubles together at the Open.

#singles #open #london #june

Isla Fisher speaks to PEOPLE ahead of the release of her new comedy Spa Weekend, co-starring Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris
On the topic of social lives as busy parents and actresses, Fisher quips, "I'm divorced, so all I do is see friends!"
The Australian actress and Sacha Baron Cohen, who co-parent three kids, announced their split in 2024 after over 13 years of marriage
Isla Fisher is shedding light on her life since separating from Sacha Baron Cohen.
Ahead of the release of gal-pal comedy Spa Weekend (in theaters now), leading ladies Fisher, Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris tell PEOPLE about how their own friendships reflected those onscreen.

#leslie

Mayla Herrick entered the Women's Pro Motocross series with a lot of anticipation. Kept out of the field in the first two rounds because of her age, she debuted in the High Point National and won on her 17th birthday while the two riders who have dominated the ladies' series, Lachlan Turner and Charli Cannon, finished further down the running order than usual.
Turner was third in Moto 1; Cannon was fifth.
But Herrick did not have the opportunity to capitalize on her debut victory. She crashed in heavy traffic on the start of Moto 2, necessitating a red flag, and was carted off the track by the medical crew with a concussion.
Mayla Herrick earned her second career holeshot in her second round of competition. / Align Media
MORE WMX: Mayla Herrick wins in her WMX debut

#herrick #mayla #series #kept

Tesehki - Big Lex
Tesehki and Big Lex threw down for three rounds, and I'm convinced, if Big Lex had taken boxing or another sport seriously, she would have a serious opportunity. Lex won a unanimous decision.
While the ladies won't be confused for Claressa Shields and Kaye Scott anytime soon, they definitely upstaged Ray J and Orlando Brown, a celebrity boxing match that was sadly comedic just before them. Lex and Tesehki are stars of Zeus Network's Baddies reality show where brawls are commonplace. Lex showed she is a real athlete and Tesehki is plenty tough and durable. Let's talk boxing.
Winner: Big Lex
Opponent: Tesehki

#tesehki #baddies

Amy Hunt hailed her British quartet of "superwomen" after they successfully defended their European 4x100m relay **** le to keep Hunt on course for an historic quadruple in Birmingham on a night of back-to-back triumphs for the hosts.
Dina Asher-Smith moved joint-top of the all-time European Athletics Championships medal table with 10, the same as Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska – though the Briton has two more golds with seven and a chance, alongside Hunt, to add another from Sunday's inaugural European mixed 4x100m relay.
Asher-Smith, Hunt, Success Eduan and Imani-Lara Lansiquot blitzed to the finish in 42.05 seconds ahead of Switzerland, who took silver in 43.12s, and bronze went to Poland in 43.15 seconds.
Hunt, who sealed a European sprint double earlier in the week, when asked about the possibility of becoming the first British athlete to win four golds in a single European Championships, said: "Hopefully! We'll have to chat to the coaches about tomorrow, but I'm so, so happy for tonight.
"It was incredible to come together with these so inspiring ladies. Everyone had so much going on. We got a midwifery degree, psychology degree, history degree, and this girl (Lansiquot) wrote a play.

#european

Today, women's football is a real sports phenomenon, followed by millions of fans worldwide, but it hasn't always been the case. It all started on the 7th of May 1881, when the first recorded ladies' football match took place in Edinburgh between England and Scotland. Come the 1890s, women's club football gathered momentum. Local women's football clubs were being formed (some by women factory workers) with the aim of competing in matches and competitions.
In 1895, Alfred Hewitt Smith and Nettie J Honeyball formed the BLFC (British Ladies Football Club). The president of the club was Lady Florence Dixie, a celebrated Scottish author, who ruled that lady players should wear practical clothing, including shin pads, football boots, and bloomers.
During WW1, with many of the menfolk called up for National Service, women were increasingly being employed in factories, many of which were dark and dingy. Sport was a way of offering women workers the opportunity to improve the standards of their health and wellbeing, to boost morale and increase levels of productivity.
Unlike modern ladies, they didn't have the opportunity to go online and check websites telling them about all possible ways of entertainment. Today, players can visit expert reviewers of, say, legal Polish casinos and choose the place to spend time with a favorite game. Back then, workers, whether men or women, chose among what was offered by employers.
Football was a popular choice, and in 1917, munitions factories created the Munitionettes' Cup, the final of which saw Blyth Spartans Munitionettes defeat Bolckow, Vaughan & Co 5-0. On December 5th, 1921, the FA banned women's football.

#club #place

LeBron James' wife, Savannah James, recently revealed that an employee at a luxury store was fired after she allegedly failed to serve her and her friend. On an episode of her podcast, "Question Everything," Savannah said she and a friend were refused service despite having a scheduled appointment.
Speaking with her co-host, April McDaniel, both ladies recalled the time they went shopping in Italy and were allegedly turned away at the door of the Hermès store.
"We be hustling," McDaniel said, adding that when they got to the store, they were "treated like sh-t."
When their guest asked the ladies to share more, McDaniel revealed that a saleswoman had allegedly turned her and Savannah away despite their appointment. They shared even further that the saleswoman was fired after McDaniel said, "We'll be back for you. I'll be right back."
Savannah said that the pair had an appointment and the saleswoman allegedly acted like there was something shady about the situation. "I said baby you caught the wrong one today," McDaniel said, revealing that Savannah is nicer than she is.

#saleswoman #james

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Europe captain Anna Nordqvist finalized her Solheim Cup team Monday by adding veteran Leona Maguire and three rookies as her picks for the Sept. 11-13 matches in The Netherlands.
Charley Hull of England easily earned one of the two automatic spots from the Ladies European Tour points list. The other went to Esther Henseleit of Germany, who surged to No. 2 in the final two events.
Henseleit finished fourth in the Women's Scottish Open and then lost in a playoff at the Women's British Open (points are double in a major) to narrowly beat Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland for the second spot.
Henseleit's 40-foot birdie putt to force a playoff with AIG Women's Open winner Shiho Kuwaki wound up costing Tamburlini a spot. Even without making it on points, Henseleit would have made her second straight team as one of the leading six players in the world ranking.
Those six spots instead fell to Solheim rookie Lottie Woad of England, Maja Stark and Linn Grant of Sweden, Carlota Ciganda of Spain, Celine Boutier of France and Nanna Koertz Madsen of Denmark.

#points

The results are in from our SB Nation Reacts survey for this week, ladies and gentlemen, so let's take a look at what everyone thinks about our Minnesota Vikings topic for this week.
We asked you, with training camp just having gotten underway, whether or not you feel our favorite squad will be making a return to the postseason this year. 'Tis, apparently, the season for positivity around here, as the local gentry feels the purple will be playing into mid-January rather than just the early portions of it.
Of those who responded to our survey, a full 80% feel that the Vikings will make a return to the playoffs this season after a one-year hiatus. More of you feel that they'll be joining the playoff field as a Wild Card team than as the NFC North division champion, with 44% of our respondents saying the Vikings will make the postseason as a Wild Card team and 36% saying they'll win the NFC North for the first time since 2022. And there are 20% of you who responded that believe the Vikings will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
I do think the Vikings will make their way back to the playoffs this season, and I do think it's more likely they'll be there as a Wild Card than as a division champ. I expect the NFC North to, once again, be among the toughest divisions in the NFL this season, and even though the Vikings were. . .in theory. . .one botched kickoff return away from winning the NFC North last season, the margin for error is going to be pretty slim again this year. Have the Vikings made enough of the necessary changes to get over the hump and get to the top of the division? Obviously, we don't know what role injuries are going to play around the division yet, either.
Here's hoping that our optimism isn't misplaced when it comes to our postseason hopes for the 2026 season. We're a little less than two weeks away from seeing an actual football game involving our favorite team, albeit one that doesn't count for anything other than seeing who will take some of the spots at the bottom of the roster. I, for one, will just be happy to see it.

#card #division #postseason

How do you react when you're told you'll be racing the Tour de France for the first time? For Britain's Zoe Backstedt, "When you get the phone call to say that you've been selected, it's like, OK, don't scream. You can scream after you've put the phone down."
The 21-year-old beams as she recounts the moment on video call with The Independent, a couple of days before her debut at the biggest race on the calendar. An electric first half of the season, including defending her ***** le at the Baloise Ladies Tour, top-five finishes at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour of Flanders, and the clean sweep of British national road and time-trial crowns, means the Welshwoman is full of confidence heading to the start line in Lausanne this weekend.
She still hadn't necessarily expected the call-up and was terrified of "jinxing it". "You don't want to say anything or do anything that could potentially make you not selected. It was basically showing that I was good enough at every time trial I've done this season, just giving it 110 per cent, really proving that I'm good enough to go."
Backstedt's prowess against the clock this year, in particular, has been remarkable, with four wins from five ITTs or prologues and her only defeat a second place in the Tour de Suisse time trial, won by none other than the reigning world champion, Marlen Reusser. Backstedt is also the current under-23 world champion in the discipline and will be among the favourites to take a maiden stage win in the Tour's time trial, a 21km run from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon on stage four.
She is philosophical about the prospect of pressure on her shoulders, saying: "I'm still young. I've still got years to prove myself as well. For now it's like a focus on everything that you can do, to the best of your ability, really just keeping to myself and trying not to think too much outside of what I need to do on the day. A top 10, a top five, top three, even a win, all of those I think I can still be grateful for and and really be happy with.

#trial #five #really #i 've

With the FA WNL Division One North 2026/27 campaign now announced, Leeds United can confirm key dates prior to the season.
Up first…
To crown the start of the new season, Simon Wood's side will be welcoming newly promoted Thornaby Women to the Bannister Prentice Stadium on Sunday 16th August. Last campaign, Thornaby finished second in the North East Regional Premier WFL to claim promotion alongside Bradford City Women.
The Whites will then make the trip to Moor Park to face Chester-le-Street Town Ladies a week later. Last campaign, Leeds did the double over the hosts, running out 2-0 winners in County Durham.
The festive period

#north #last #season #simon

Darcey Harry says she has come to "hate" calls for patience during what has been a more challenging second season on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
After her successes as a rookie in 2025, Wales' number one golfer hopes this week's return to the Women's Open could spark an upturn in form.
Harry has a place in the field at Royal Lytham & St Annes courtesy of her performances last year, when she finished a lofty 14th in the LET order of merit despite the fact she had only just turned professional.
But 2026 has been more of a struggle for the 23-year-old from Dinas Powys, who has missed the cut in three of her past four tournaments and was forced to withdraw from the other because of injury after only a handful of holes.
"My results are definitely reflecting that it's harder second time around [on tour] because the expectations are just so high," Harry told BBC Sport Wales.

#only #ladies #open

Charlotte Naughton's golfing career was already on an upward trajectory, but the teenager will hit fast forward.
That is because she is preparing to tee up in the AIG Women's Open - the first major of her career.
Still 18, Naughton only secured her spot at Royal Lytham & St Annes this week by virtue of winning the European Ladies Amateur Championship in Sweden on Sunday.
Now the young amateur heads to Lancashire to take her place alongside Charley Hull, Nelly Korda and the other star names of women's golf when the tournament begins on Thursday.
"I've always dreamed about it," Naughton told BBC Radio Newcastle. "I never really knew it would come this quick but I'm so happy and so proud to be able to play."

#Career #open