Cranbrook residents will have the chance to see 11 of the UCI’s (Union Cycliste Internationale) top level WorldTour teams race compete in the Tour of Britain this September.
The final list of 20 teams for the OVO Energy Tour of Britain has now been confirmed - and it includes the four British UCI Continental teams that have qualified for the UK’s most prestigious cycle race.
Stage 2 of the race will take place on Monday September 3.
It is hosted by Devon County Council, supported by East Devon District Council and North Devon Council and working with Cranbrook Town Council and Barnstaple Town Council.
Starting in Cranbrook, East Devon, the race covers 174km (108miles) of countryside across East Devon, Mid Devon and North Devon before finishing in Barnstaple.
JLT Condor, ONE Pro Cycling, Madison Genesis and Canyon Eisberg will join the list of the world’s top teams and riders.
The first of those to qualify, JLT Condor, have competed in every edition of the Tour since 2007 and have twice had riders claim the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey. Canyon Eisberg are the reigning OVO Energy Tour Series champions, and feature Commonwealth Games medalists Charlie and Harry Tanfield in their line-up, while Madison Genesis hit the headlines at the end of June when 22-year-old Connor Swift claimed the British road race title.
ONE Pro Cycling return to the race for fourth year running, having won the race’s SKODA King of the Mountains and Sprints jerseys courtesy of Pete Williams in their debut 2015 season. Also confirmed for the race are Team Sunweb, who will be one of 11 UCI WorldTour teams racing in Britain’s this September. The German squad last appeared in the race in 2016 when Tom Dumoulin finished third overall.
In total 13 teams who are currently competing in the Tour de France will be racing in the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, including all the UCI WorldTour teams plus UCI ProContinental squads Direct Energie and Wanty-Groupe Gobert.
Two further UCI ProContinental teams will take part: Aqua Blue Sport from Ireland, making their race debut, and Italy’s Bardiani-CSF, who have previously won two stages in Britain’s most prestigious race.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here