Ten of the top level UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) WorldTour cycling teams will visit Bath and North East Somerset in September, it has been announced.
Bath & North East Somerset Council will be hosting a stage finish of Britain’s premier cycling race for the first time on Thursday 8th September.
Stage five, which will begin in Aberdare, will finish in Bath having crossed South Wales and Gloucestershire.
The Tour takes place from Sunday 4th to Sunday 11th September. The full list of teams taking part was announced by organisers yesterday.
Teams taking part include Team Dimension Data, who won the 2015 Tour of Britain with Edvald Boasson Hagen and now also boast Mark Cavendish.
They will be joined by the likes of regular Tour of Britain participants Team Sky, Movistar Team, BMC Racing Team and Cannondale Drapac, while Team Giant Alpecin, Orica BikeExchange and Trek Segafredo return having not competed in 2015.
Team WIGGINS will also race, with Sir Bradley Wiggins having already publically stated that he intends to ride the Tour of Britain following his bid for Gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Two UCI ProContinental teams will be making their Tour of Britain debuts – the Spanish Caja Rural – Serguros RGA team, from whom Preston’s Hugh Carthy rides, and the Belgian Wanty – Groupe Gobert team, who include former SKODA King of the Mountains Mark McNally.
Having won both the Yodel Sprints and SKODA King of the Mountains jerseys with Peter Williams in 2015, ONE Pro Cycling return for their second Tour of Britain, their first as a UCI ProContinental team.
Councillor Martin Veal (Conservative, Bathavon North), Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “It’s very exciting to hear that so many well-known professional cyclists will be racing through Bath and North East Somerset.
“We expect to welcome thousands of spectators from near and far to watch the stage finish.”
Commenting on the line-up, Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said: “This is a world-class line-up of teams entirely befitting of the Tour of Britain’s continuing growth in stature and importance on the global cycling calendar.
“Half of the teams selected are currently racing in the Tour de France, giving British fans a taste of the high-level of competition which they can look forward to watching this September.”
Jonny Clay, British Cycling director of cycle sport and membership, said: “The fact that 10 World Tour teams have confirmed their place on the start line in Glasgow at this year’s Tour of Britain is a fantastic endorsement and underlines the strong reputation that the event now holds within an ever increasingly competitive international calendar.
“We are greatly looking forward to the spectacle of a world class peloton racing on British roads this September.”
It will be the largest number of UCI WorldTour teams to compete in Britain at any point since the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014.
The full list of teams for the Tour of Britain is as follows:
- An Post Chain Reaction (IRL)
- Bardiani CSF (Ita)
- BMC Racing Team (USA)
- Cannondale Drapac Pro Cycling Team (USA)
- Caja Rural – Seguros RGA (SPA)
- Great Britain national team (GBR)
- Lotto Soudal (BEL)
- ONE Pro Cycling (GBR)
- Orica BikeExchange (AUS)
- Movistar Team (SPA)
- Team Dimension Data (RSA)
- Team Giant Alpecin (GER)
- Team LottoNL Jumbo (NED)
- Team Sky (GBR)
- Team WIGGINS (GBR)
- Trek Segafredo (USA)
- Wanty Groupe Gobert (BEL)
In total 20 teams will participate in the 2016 Tour of Britain. The final three British UCI Continental teams will be confirmed on Monday 1st August following the Prudential RideLondon event.
Team WIGGINS were selected by virtue of their third overall with Owain Doull in the 2015 Tour of Britain.
JLT Condor presented by Mavic, Madison Genesis, NFTO, Pedal Heaven and Team Raleigh GAC are vying for the final three spots, with their selection based upon performances in major domestic events and UCI level races in the UK.
The Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step.
You can find out more about the Tour of Britain’s route through Bath, and the Summer of Cycling events taking place, at www.bathnes.gov.uk/tourofbritain.
