Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish to The Tour of Britain
Tour de France winner and reigning World Road Race Champion to line-up for Team Sky
Britain’s first ever Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins, will ride The Tour of Britain this September, giving British fans the chance to see him just under two months since he clinched his historic victory in Paris and only a month since Olympic Gold in Surrey.
Joining Wiggins in Team Sky’s line-up for The Tour is Mark Cavendish, a double-stage winner in last year’s Tour of Britain and the current World Champion on the road. In 2011 Cavendish set his own piece of Tour de France history, becoming the first British rider to win the Green Jersey.
The Tour of Britain comes towards the end of Wiggins’ best ever season, having clinched overall victories in Paris Nice, the Tour de Romandie and the Criterium Dauphine stage races, before winning the Tour de France and Olympic Time Trial Gold on home roads.
Wiggins will become the first winner of the Tour de France to race in The Tour of Britain, while for the second successive September the reigning World Road Race Champion will line-up for The Tour of Britain, thanks to Cavendish’s participation.
“To have the reigning Tour de France and Olympic Time Trial Champion, and the current World Champion competing in The Tour of Britain is a dream for us. That both riders are British and such great champions means that there is now a unprecented interest in the event,” said Race Director Mick Bennett.
“We are delighted that The Tour of Britain will be the first chance for many British fans to see Bradley Wiggins since his Tour de France and Olympic successes. We are also very pleased that Mark Cavendish to the race again so he can ‘show-off’ the rainbow stripes in front of home fans. What Mark did for the race last year following the cancellation of Stage Two meant a great deal to us, so he will always be welcome as a fantastic ambassador for The Tour.”
Joining Cavendish and Wiggins in the Team Sky line-up will be Devonian rider Jeremy Hunt, who will race over home roads on Stage Seven of The Tour from Barnstaple to Dartmouth.
Alongside the trio of British riders are two members of Bradley Wiggins’ successful Tour de France line-up Bernhard Eisel and Christian Knees, plus Swedish rider Thomas Löfkvist.
Team Sky provisional start-list:
Mark Cavendish (GBr); Bernhard Eisel (Aut); Jeremy Hunt (GBr); Christian Knees (Ger); Thomas Löfkvist (Swe); Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
Reserves: Salvatore Puccio (Ita); Luke Rowe (GBr)
Amateur cyclists will have the chance to preview the route of Stage One of The Tour of Britain, by taking part in The Tour Ride East Anglia on Saturday 8thSeptember the day before the Grand Depart from Ipswich, while special Tour Rides in Scotland and Wales take place on the day of stages, giving entrants the chance to ride the route before seeing Cavendish and Wiggins take on the challenge of the Dumfries and Caerphilly finishes respectively.
To find out more and to enter, please visit www.tourride.co.uk while details of the VIP Tour Club Hospitality packages for The Tour can be found by visitingwww.tourofbritain.co.uk including a first-class view of every stage finish.
Wiggins and Cavendish join two-time Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso and 2008 Olympic Road Race Champion Samuel Sanchez as having committed to racing in this September’s Tour.
A full provisional start list will be published towards the end of August.
The Tour of Britain
The 2012 Tour of Britain will take place between Sunday 9th and Sunday 16th September 2012
Stage One Sunday 9th September Ipswich to Norfolk Showground
Stage Two Monday 10th September Nottingham to Knowsley
Stage Three Tuesday11th September Jedburgh to Dumfries
Stage Four Wednesday 12th September Carlisle to Blackpool
Stage Five Thursday 13th September The Stoke-on-Trent Stage
Stage Six Friday 14th September Welshpool to Caerphilly
Stage Seven Saturday 15th September Barnstaple to Dartmouth
Stage Eight Sunday 16th September Reigate to Guildford