People in Dumfries and Galloway will be able to watch live as Mathieu van der Poel, the world’s hottest cycling talent, will ride the OVO Energy Tour of Britain for the first time in September. Stage one will finish in Kirkcudbright on Saturday september the 7th.
The 24-year-old Dutchman will lead his Corendon-Circus team at Britain’s most prestigious race (7 – 14 September) as the final part of his key preparations for success at the UCI World Road Race Championships in the UK later the same month.
Van der Poel has been one of the standout names of the 2019 cycling season so far, taking five victories on the road, including the prestigious Amstel Gold Race in April, as well as becoming World, European and Dutch cyclo-cross champion.
It will be the debut of both van der Poel and his Belgian Corendon Circus UCI ProContinental team in the OVO Energy Tour of Britain.
Commenting on the news, Mathieu van der Poel, who is also the current Dutch road race champion said,
“I’m happy to go to the Worlds and to have the occasion to get to know the OVO Energy Tour of Britain in the weeks before. I’m really happy that the organiser gives our team the chance to participate for the first time and at the same time helps me preparing for the Worlds in the best possible way.
“Of course, we’ll study the roadbook in order to decide in which stages we will try to go for a stage win.”
Victory in the Amstel Gold Race came during a thrilling Spring Classics campaign that also saw van der Poel win the Dwars van Vlaanderen and Brabantse Pijl single day World Tour races, and finish fourth in the legendary Tour of Flanders.
He recently continued his breakout season by taking his first ever UCI mountain bike World Cup victory in mid-May.
Commenting on van der Poel’s participation, OVO Energy Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said, “We are excited that Mathieu, his team and the Dutch federation have identified the OVO Energy Tour of Britain as a key part of his road calendar in 2019 and look forward to welcoming him to the race.
“Like many I was thrilled to see his performance in the Amstel Gold Race this Spring, and am delighted that British fans will now get to see this amazing talent in action first hand. The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is held in tremendous regard by the sport’s top teams and riders and we look forward to more exciting announcements before September.”
Van der Poel is the son of double Tour de France stage winner and 1996 World Cyclo-Cross Champion Adri, while his Grandfather is eight-time Tour de France podium finisher and cycling great Raymond Poulidor.
Mathieu will be hoping to emulate the success of his father, who won stage five of the 1991 Kellogg’s Tour – the Tour of Britain’s predecessor – in Leeds.
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain begins in Glasgow’s George Square on Saturday 7 September, finishing eight days later on Deansgate in the heart of Manchester city centre on Saturday 14 September.
ITV4 will once again screen live free-to-air coverage flag-to-flag of each stage in the UK, along with a nightly highlights programme of the best of the action.
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep and helping to build a great cycling nation.
NOTES TO EDITORS
| Stage 1 | Saturday 7 September | Glasgow to Kirkcudbright | 201.5km |
| Stage 2 | Sunday 8 September | The Scottish Borders Stage | 166.4km |
| Stage 3 | Monday 9 September | Berwick-upon-Tweed to Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 182.2km |
| Stage 4 | Tuesday 10 September | Gateshead to Kendal | 171.5km |
| Stage 5 | Wednesday 11 September | The Wirral Stage | 174km |
| Stage 6 | Thursday 12 September | The Worcestershire Vale & Spa Stage | TBA |
| Stage 7 | Friday 13 September | Warwick to Burton Dassett Country Park | 186.5km |
| Stage 8 | Saturday 14 September | Altrincham to Manchester | 165km |
About the OVO Energy Tour of Britain
Re-launched in 2004 after a five-year absence from the calendar, the OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, held annually across eight days in September.
The free-to-watch sporting spectacular features Olympic, World and Tour de France champions, and attracts a roadside audience of over 1.5m spectators. Live coverage of the race is shown daily in the UK on ITV4 and Eurosport, in addition to over 170 countries worldwide.
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is ranked at 2.HC level by the UCI, cycling’s governing body, making it one of the most prestigious sporting events in the sport’s global calendar.
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Follow the OVO Energy Tour of Britain on Twitter (#OVOToB), Facebook, Instagram or via the event’s official website at tourofbritain.co.uk.
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