The world’s best road cyclists are in Scotland this weekend for the opening stages of the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain Grand Depart. Stage Two in the Scottish Borders starts in Kelso at 11am and spectating is free on the route.
The waiting is over and the action is underway in Britain’s biggest professional cycle race, the Tour of Britain.
After yesterday’s Grand Depart from Glasgow today’s Stage Two action begins 11am in The Square, Kelso with 20 teams embarking on a stage that is exclusively in the Scottish Borders for the first time.
This year’s race once again features a world-class field. Team INEOS, Team Jumbo – Visma and Team Sunweb headline the 20 teams confirmed. Team INEOS include 2014 Tour of Britain winner Dylan van Baarle and Ben Swift the 2019 British road race champion in their line-up.
Eleven teams fresh from competing in the Tour de France are taking part in the 16th edition of the modern Tour including the French AG2R La Mondiale squad who make their first appearance since 2009.
In total the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain has welcomed 10 UCI World Tour teams including Team Dimension Data for whom all-time sprint legend Mark Cavendish leads the way joined by fellow Brit Steve Cummings a Tour de France and Vuelta a España stage winner. They’re joined by EF Education First Pro Cycling, Lotto Soudal, Mitchelton – SCOTT, Team KATUSHA ALPECIN and the Movistar Team who won the team classification at the Tour de France last month. Giro d’Italia champion Richard Carapaz and four-time Grand Tour stage winner Mikel Landa (who has finished fourth, seventh and sixth in the last three editions of the Tour de France ) make their Tour of Britain debuts as part of a formidable Movistar line-up.
GB fans will also be able to cheer on the Great British cycling team once again, featuring rising stars such as 2018 National Road Race Champion Connor Swift and senior academy riders including Matt Walls who recently won stages at Paris Arras and the Baby Giro.
This is the full list of race riders.
Photo: SweetSpot
Stage Two of the race starts and finishes in the centre of Kelso, with the riders tackling an anti-clockwise loop via Coldstream, Chirnside and Duns before heading, via the Scott’s View climb, to Melrose and on to the Eildon Hills.
Stage Two starts starts at 11am in The Square, Kelso. Early arrival is recommended to get a good viewing spot on the barriers.
Spectating is free at the Tour of Britain Scottish Borders – the route can be viewed in full here together with timings.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see a peleton full of cycling superstars up close and personal!
About the OVO Energy Tour of Britain: Re-launched in 2004 after a five year absence from the calendar, the 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.
Held annually across eight days in September the OVO Energy Tour of Britain is the UK’s highest ranked professional stage race and the country’s largest free-to-watch sporting event featuring Olympic, world and Tour de France champions.
Attracting a roadside audience of over 1.5m spectators the race is ranked at 2.HC level by the UCI, cycling’s governing body.