Racing

National champion Adam Blythe in strong Great Britain team for RideLondon

Tinkoff rider to race in red, white and blue jersey for first time as part of strong six-man line-up

Newly crowned British champion Adam Blythe’s first race in the red, white and blue-striped jersey will be RideLondon, after the Tinkoff rider was named in a strong Great Britain team for the event.

Blythe’s Tinkoff team are not among the WorldTour teams taking part, but the 2014 winner will be one of three national champions in the six-man Great Britain squad.

Movistar’s national time trial champion Alex Dowsett, fresh from time trial stage success at the Tour de Pologne, will also race, as will British cyclo-cross champion Ian Field.

British champion Adam Blythe will race at RideLondon – his first race since beating Mark Cavendish to become British champion (pic: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

Fortuneo-Vital Concept sprinter Dan McLay, who impressed on his Tour de France debut with four top-ten finishes in the first week, will also line up for the national team in London.

And the British team is completed by academy riders Ollie Wood and Matt Gibson, for the fourth edition of the UCI Europe Tour race.

British Cycling’s men’s academy endurance coach Keith Lambert is pleased his young charges will get to ride as part of such a strong team for the race.

“I’m really pleased with the team I’ve been able to select for this year’s Prudential RideLondon,” he said.

“Adam, Dan and Alex have all had some impressive results at an elite level this season but for me it’s exciting to be able to include the two academy riders in a squad which is so full of experience.

“Ollie and Matt will learn a lot from riding in this team, especially in front of a home crowd.

“Under the guidance of Stuart Blunt, who will be the directeur sportif for the race, I’m looking to seeing the two academy riders get stuck into the racing and to support the elite riders where they can.”

Blythe won the race in 2014, while riding for NFTO, after outsprinting Ben Swift from a breakaway which went clear on the run-in to Box Hill.

Alex Dowsett is also included in a strong British team (pic: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)

This year’s edition of the race, which rolls out of St James Park on Sunday (July 31) has attracted a strong startlist, with Tour de France champion Chris Froome (Team Sky) also set to race.

Team-mates Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas, and Froome’s fellow Tour de France stage winner Steve Cummings will also line-up as they bid to hone their form for the Rio 2016 Olympic road race.

Michael Matthews (Orica-BikeExchange) and Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) are the other Tour de France 2016 stage winners set for the race, while former world champion Tom Boonen lines up for Etixx-QuickStep.