The eighth edition of the Tour of Britain will get underway in the Scottish Borders this Sunday for eight days of top racing, and with Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas on the start list, there’s high hopes for a home win.
Mark Cavendish will be aiming for stage wins as he spearheads the HTC-Highroad squad that includes Lars Bak, Matt Brammeier, Bernhard Eisel, Alex Rasmussen and Mark Renshaw.
Heading Team Sky’s hopes of overall victory will be Geriant Thomas, who free from domestique duties, will be keen to improve on the sixth and 12th he finished at in past two editions of the race. The 25-year-old impressed at the Tour de France supporting Bradley Wiggins, and will be looking to mark his mark on the top step of the podium when the race rolls in London the following Sunday.
Bringing an international flavour to the race is the legendary Jens Voight, who will captain the Leopard-Trek team in one of its last big races of the season. He’ll be flanked by Will Clarke, Linus Gerdemannm Dominic Klemme , Giacomo Nizzolo and Martin Pedersen.
And reigning world champion Thor Hushovd, fresh from a successful Tour de France where he won two fantastic stages, will bolster an already strong Garmin-Cervelo team that includes David Millar, Dan Lloyd and Roger Hammond.
Other riders to look out for will be sprinter Ben Swift and, fresh from winning the British Time Trial Championship, Alex Dowsett joined by Peter Kennaugh. Leading national team Rapha Condor Sharp is Ed Clancy and he’ll be supported by former national champion Kristian House.
They performed superbly in the 2010 Tour of Britain, taking the race right to HTC-Highroad and Team Sky, and the Vacansoleil squad will be looking to once again be in attacking mode when the race kicks off. Among the riders in the squad will be Johnny Hoogerland, who was one of the most attacking riders in last year’s race, winning the montains title as a reward for his efforts.
Looking to contest for stage wins will be five-time world track champion Theo Bos and former world under-23 time trial gold medallist Lars Boom from the Rabobank squad.
The eight day race includes nine stages starting in Peebles in the Scottish Borders, before heading to Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Welshpool, Exeter, Taunton and Bury St Edmunds. Racing concludes with a special double stage in London, with a time trial in the morning followed by what is expected to be a very fast criterium around the heart of the Capital.
Will you be watching? Who’s your tip to win the race?
