Olympic Cyclist comes to Stoke-on-Trent for Tour of Britain
Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins will lead Team Sky at this year’s Tour of Britain stage through Stoke-on-Trent.
Team Sky has 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.
Bradley Wiggins arrives in Stoke with a fine pedigree, having won three medals on the track at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, and two gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. He came in fourth at the 2009 Tour de France.
Councillor Mohammed Pervez, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “To welcome an athlete of Bradley’s calibre to the city fills me with pride. The Tour of Britain is a tremendous success every year it is held in the city, and it puts Stoke-on-Trent right up there with other cities when it comes to organising and hosting major events.
“We want people within the city to celebrate the importance of having such a huge event here and those who will travel here to see the Tour to want to come back and see more of our city.”
“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.
The Tour of Britain is in Stoke-on-Trent for a third year running this September - with the start and finish of the West Midlands stage taking place in the city.
The race will form part of celebrations to mark the centenary of the six towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent. The route will be 100 miles long and will take in Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke, Longton, Fenton and Hanley, as well as some of Staffordshire's most picturesque countryside.
The event takes place on 12 September, starting outside Ceramica in Burslem from 8:30, with an estimated finishing time of 2:30pm outside Hanley Town Hall in the city centre.