An Olympic champion and Tour de France stage winner will be amongst the stars of the Blackpool Nocturne Elite Criterium on Saturday 21st August.

Swiss time trial champion Rubens Bertogliati is the first Continental rider confirmed for the night time race. The Swiss champion  is a past Tour de France stage winner and yellow jersey wearer and showed recent form at the Giro d’Italia, finishing second on stage 6. 

Leading the challengers will be Olympic Gold medallist Ed Clancy MBE, who recently added the national criterium title to his credentials. Clancy won the inaugural Blackpool Nocturne in 2009 so will be looking for a repeat performance in his new national champion’s colours.

Clancy will be supported by a strong Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta team including Ian Bibby, who won the HTC Smithfield Nocturne in June, as well as Andy Tennant, Malcolm Elliott and another Olympic medallist, Steven Burke. Rapha Condor Sharp will be led by Kristian House who will be hoping to follow up his superb solo victory at the Edinburgh Nocturne. House also comes off the back of a victory at the Preston GP where he rode away from the field with team mate Dean Windsor in a dominant display.

Windsor will also be on the start line in Blackpool along with Dean Downing and multiple Olympic medallist Chris Newton. There will be strong line ups from Sigma Sport-Specialized, Kuota-Road.cc and www.Cyclepremier.com-Metaltek, making it the best Elite line up of all the 2010 Nocturne Series events. 

The Elite Criterium will be the highlight of a race programme that also includes the Cycling Weekly Support Race, Youth Race, Dahon Folding Bike Race and the Blackpool Cycle Hire Challenge.   Full details and online entry to the Cycle Hire Challenge and all the races can be found on www.blackpoolnocturne.com . The event is free to attend and the racing starts at 6pm.