The 18th edition of the modern Tour of Britain kicks off with its northernmost start on Sunday, with 108 riders setting off from Aberdeen ahead of eight stages that will culminate in a first-ever visit to the Isle of Wight.
There’s no time trial at this year’s race but an opening day summit finish, as well as several hilly stages including the final day, look set to determine the destination of the new-look leader’s jersey.
Chief among the contenders for that red jersey will be Ineos Grenadiers, the home team who boast what is on paper easily the strongest squad at this year’s race. The Tour of Britain marks the final race of Richie Porte‘s career. The 37-year-old, who has Paris-Nice, the Tour de Suisse, and the Critérium du Dauphiné among his career palmarès, is part of a powerful lineup this week.
Tom Pidcock will lead the British team. The 23-year-old, who won on L’Alpe d’Huez at the Tour de France, is among the major favourites for the overall win at the race. As well as Porte, he’ll be able to rely on Amstel Gold Race winner Michał Kwiatkowski and Brabantse Pijl winner Magnus Sheffield in his bid for glory.
The other major name in contention for the red jersey is Israel-Premier Tech newcomer Dylan Teuns, who undertakes his first stage race for the team since his mid-season transfer. The Belgian, who won Le Flèche Wallonne this spring, has three race days under his belt since the August 5 move.
Having won the Tour de Pologne, Tour de Wallonie, and Arctic Race of Norway in the past, Teuns is well-suited to this style of race and will be a major contender for the win. Climber Michael Woods is also on the ISN team following his early Vuelta a España abandon, with the duo set to make a formidable pairing as the team searches for valuable UCI points.
Mads Würtz Schmidt and Jenthe Biermans are also part of the ISN squad, which will be looking for opportunities during the hilly stages of the race.
Bora-Hansgrohe are the next of the five WorldTour teams lining up at the race. Double Paris-Nice champion Max Schachmann and 2019 Tour of Turkey winner Felix Großschartner line up as dual leaders at the German squad, the pair also among the favourites for overall glory on the Isle of Man.
Shane Archbold, Matt Walls, and Marco Haller will spearhead the team’s lead-out, while Nils Politt is another option to contest for stage victories.
At Team DSM, sprinter Cees Bol will be looking to add to his five-win haul during his time at the squad, which is set to come to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…