Bradley Wiggins to lead Sky at The Tour of Britain

29.07.2010

The Tour of Britain is pleased to announce that Bradley Wiggins will headline the Sky Professional Cycling Team’s line-up for this September’s Tour, in a six man roster that also contains top British riders Russell Downing, Steve Cummings and National Road Race Champion Geraint Thomas.

Fellow Olympian and National Circuit Race Champion Ed Clancy will lead the Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta team that also contains current Great Britain track cyclist Andy Tennant and double Halfords Tour Series winner and reigning British Cyclo-Cross Champion Ian Bibby

For Welshman Geraint Thomas, who wore the White Jersey of Best Young Rider during the Tour de France, The Tour provides the chance to race in his British Road Race Champions jersey in Wales, as Stage Three of The Tour heads from Newtown in Powys to Swansea, a stage which features the fearsome Constitution Hill close to the finish.

Also named in Sky’s provisional line-up for The Tour are another duo of Brits, in Tour de Wallonie winner and fifth placed overall in last year’s Tour of Britain Russell Downing, and 2008 Tour of Britain runner up Steve Cummings.

Antipodean duo Matthew Hayman and Greg Henderson round out the Team Sky roster, as listed in the UCI Bulletin for The Tour of Britain. Australian Hayman is the current Commonwealth Games Road Race Champion, while New Zealander Henderson won the opening road stage of Paris – Nice this Spring, and finished on the podium in the Tour Down Under.

“We’re delighted to have Team Sky riding The Tour of Britain this year, particularly with such a strong line-up that shows they mean business for The Tour,” commented Technical Director Mick Bennett.

“I’m sure fans in Wales will be particularly excited to see Geraint Thomas riding Stage Three into Swansea, while I know from meetings and events in Newham just how excited residents and in particular local children are at the prospect of our three Olympians racing on their streets in September. I know Bradley can expect a lot of support during the final stage, in what is of course London’s Olympic and Paralympic Borough.

“Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta too have a strong team, with several riders who stand an excellent chance of being involved in London 2012. With five domestic British teams riding The Tour this year, there will be an interesting race within a race between those squads to see who comes out on top, and Motorpoint look to have a strong squad to do that.”

The Tour of Britain begins in Rochdale on Saturday 11th September, finishing eight days later with The TfL London Stage, based in Newham around the historic London Docklands.

Provisional Sky Professional Cycling Team Tour of Britain line-up:

Steve Cummings; Russell Downing; Matthew Hayman; Greg Henderson; Geraint Thomas; Bradley Wiggins

Reserves: Chris Froome & Chris Sutton

Provisional Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta Tour of Britain line-up:

Ian Bibby; Ed Clancy; Jonathan McEvoy; James Sampson; Andy Tennant; Peter Williams

Reserves: Steven Burke; Malcolm Elliott; Andrew Roche

Further announcements on teams and riders taking part in The Tour of Britain, the UK’s biggest professional cycle race, will be made in the coming days and weeks.

The Tour of Britain is proud to be partnered with The Prostate Cancer Charity. Don’t forget this September your chance to follow in the wheel tracks of the professionals and ride three stages from The Tour of Britain. Go to www.tourride.co.uk to find out more!

Photo: Geraint Thomas in action at the British National Road Race Championships (Credit: Michelle Rudd)