More Teams Announced For Tour Of Britain

Last updated : 26 August 2011 By Peter Hodges

UCI World Tour teams Leopard Trek and Rabobank announce Tour line-ups 

Treble Tour de France stage winner Jens Voigt will lead the Leopard Trek team in this September’s Tour of Britain, in a six rider line which also includes 2006 Tour of Britain winner Martin Pedersen. 

Riding alongside Leopard Trek in the 96 rider peloton will be fellow UCI World Tour team Rabobank, whose star studded line-up includes Olympic Silver medalist and five time World Track Champion Theo Bos, plus current Under-23 Road Race World Champion Michael Matthews, and Team Europcar, who will be led by 2010 Tour de France King of the Mountains Anthony Charteau. 

The Irish AN Post Sean Kelly Cycling Team also return to The Tour of Britain, with a duo of Brits, Andrew Fenn and Mark McNally amongst their six rider provisional line-up. 

“This year’s Tour of Britain is building up to have our best field yet,”said Race Director Mick Bennett. 

“The fact that UCI World Tour teams like Rabobank and Leopard Trek are sending such strong line-ups speaks volumes about The Tour of Britain and how the race is continuing to go from strength-to-strength. 

“With riders like Theo Bos, Thor Hushovd and other top sprinters contesting the sprints, I am sure that both the Yodel Sprints and Prostate Cancer Charity Points Jerseys will be hotly contested.” 

In addition to Voigt and Pedersen, Leopard Trek’s six rider team also includes 2007 Tour de France stage winner Linus Gerdemann, while the addition of Australian Michael Matthews to The Tour of Britain’s provisional line-up means that both the 2010 Senior and Under-23 Road Race World Champions will be racing on British roads this September, following the announcement of Thor Hushovd’s participation with Garmin Cervelo. 

AN Post Sean Kelly Cycling Team provisional Tour of Britain line-up:

Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu); Sam Bennett (Irl); Andrew Fenn (GBr); Pieter Ghyllebert (Bel); Ronan McLaughlin (Irl); Mark McNally (GBr)

Reserves: Mark Cassidy (Irl); Niko Eeckhout (Bel); Philip Lavery (Irl); Connor McConvey (Irl); Kenny Terwduwe (Bel) 

Leopard Trek provisional Tour of Britain line-up:

Will Clarke (Aus); Linus Gerdemann (Ger); Dominic Klemme (Ger); Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita); Martin Pedersen (Den); Jens Voigt (Ger) 

Rabobank provisional Tour of Britain line-up:

Lars Boom (Ned); Theo Bos (Ned); Rick Flens (Ned); Michael Matthews (Aus); Bram Tankink (Ned); Coen Vermeltfoort (Ned)

Reserves: Graeme Brown (Aus); Sebastian Langeveld (Ned); Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) 

Team Europcar provisional Tour of Britain line-up:

Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn); Franck Bouyer (Fra); Anthony Charteau (Fra); Damien Gaudin (Fra); Yohann Gene (Fra); Alexandre Pichot (Fra)

Reserves: Mathieu Claude (Fra); Christophe Kern (Fra); Guillaume Le Floch (Fra); Kevin Reza (Fra) 

The Tour of Britain begins in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway on Sunday 11th September, visiting England’s Northwest, Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands.Two stages in the South West, in Devon and Somerset, are followed by a return to East Anglia, with a stage from Suffolk to Norfolk, before the final day of the race takes place in central London on Sunday 18th September, as the battle for the race leader’s IG Markets Gold Jersey reaches its climax with an individual time trial and circuit race on the streets of Whitehall and Westminster. 

Daily highlights of The Tour of Britain will once again be screened every evening on ITV4 from the 11th to 18th September. 

The Tour of Britain is proud to be partnered with The Prostate Cancer Charity.Don’t forget on Sunday 4th September your chance to ride the route of Stage One of The Tour of Britain in The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride Scotland.Visit www.tourride.co.uk to sign-up!