The 2017 Tour Series continues with Round Eight as Aberdeen hosts a day of cycling entertainment climaxing with the elite race around the city centre. Tour Series Aberdeen gets underway from 1pm and spectating is free.
The Tour Series is an annual road race event made up of 10 rounds of criterium racing (i.e. several laps around a closed circuit) each one taking place in a different city centre in Britain.
There are seven professional men’s teams competing in each round of the Tour Series. These are defending champions JLT Condor along with Bike Channel Canyon, Madison Genesis, Metaltek Kuot Morvelo Basso, ONE Pro Cycling and Team Raleigh GAC. The teams field five riders in each race and home interest includes Scottish Cycling Performance Programme rider Andy Brown will also be riding for Metaltek Kuot along with Perthshire’s Grant and Fraser Martin riding for Raleigh GAC.
Also in action tonight are some of the some of the country’s brightest young male stars who make up a Scotland team featuring in a trio of Tour Series stages, namely Motherwell, Tour Series Aberdeen and Durham. Taking to the start line tonight are Joe Nally, Stephen Dent, Dylan Hughes, Finn Crockett and Alex Macrae.
Each race lasts for 60 minutes plus five additional laps and the winning team is the one whose overall time to cross the finish line (i.e. their five riders times added up) and they receive 10 points with the team whose cumulative time is second overall getting 9 points and so on meaning all nine teams are chasing points each round. Points are also awarded for the individual winners, giving the series an exciting team and individual focus. The winning teams and individuals are calculated on a final points basis after all ten rounds have taken place on 29th May in Stevenage.
The entertainment gets underway at Tour Series Aberdeen from 1pm with an exciting programme of races that will take place on a 
revised version of the circuit, taking in Belmont Street and Little Belmont Street. There is also a Cycling Activity Village to celebrate the Tour Series and all things cycling with a free fun-filled activities for all to enjoy at Union Terrace Gardens.
Scottish Cycling will host a range of amateur races between 1pm and 6pm. The men’s Tour Series gets underway at 7.30pm and the presentation to the winners will be at approximately 9pm. There will be live commentary throughout the races to keep spectators up to speed with all the action.
A map of the route at Tour Series Aberdeen can be viewed here.
The full running order is as follows:-
Amateur Races
Active Schools Youth Under 10’s – 13:00
Active Schools Youth Under 12’s – 13:25
U14 Boys & Girls – 14:00
U16 Boys & Girls – 14:00
Senior – 14:45
Corporate Challenge, Aberdeen – 15.45pm
Women’s Race 16:30
Senior 17:00
Elite Race 19:30
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness road racing up close and personal, as Britain’s finest elite cyclists battle it out on the Scottish streets at Tour Series Aberdeen!
Entertainment and racing starts at 1pm.
Spectating is free on the Tour Series Aberdeen course.