Caerphilly County Borough since 2013, when Caerphilly town hosted a stage finish
A plethora of talent from across the cycling world has been announced for the Tour of Britain race, which will once again see a stage pass through Caerphilly County Borough on Thursday, September 8.
Fresh from Rio de Janeiro, Team GB Olympic medallists Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, and Welshman Owain Doull will be joined by Dutch silver medallist Tom Dumoulin, summit specialist Wout Poels, and prolific sprinter André Greipel as ten of world cycling’s elite teams compete in this year’s race.
Caerphilly County Borough will host part of Stage Five, a 205km race from Aberdare to Bath, which will see riders make their way through Nelson, Ystrad Mynach, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, Oakdale and Crumlin, though there will be no stage finish.
Between 2011 and 2013, Caerphilly town hosted a stage finish for the tour, until council funding cuts put the brakes on in 2014.
In his first race since winning silver in the omnium event in Rio, Mark Cavendish will be looking to add to his ten stage wins on the Tour of Britain when he rides for Team Dimension Data alongside 2008 and 2011 runner-up Steve Cummings.
Owain Doull, 23, from Cardiff, won gold in the men’s team pursuit in Rio, and will be turning out once again alongside Bradley Wiggins for Team Wiggins.
Doull finished third overall at the 2015 Tour of Britain, and was named Best Young Rider.
Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said: ”We are delighted to be welcoming two of our Olympic Champions to the Tour of Britain just three weeks after their success in Rio.
“As a former winner of the Tour of Britain, it is always a pleasure to welcome Sir Bradley Wiggins back to Britain’s biggest race, while Owain Doull was the star of the 2015 Tour, showing he has a very bright future ahead of him.
“In Mark Cavendish and André Greipel we have two of the world’s top sprinters, who are both already multiple Tour of Britain stage winners, while we are delighted that BMC Racing Team will be bringing two outstanding time trialists in Rohan Dennis and Taylor Phinney to the race.”
Full details of road closures and expected times is available at www.tourofbritain.co.uk.