Location: Ipswich Waterfront, Ipswich, Suffolk
Event: 8 September 2013
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Britain’s top teams will fine tune their form ahead of the 2013 Tour of Britain at the inaugural Ipswich & Coastal Grand Prix this Sunday.
Rapha Condor JLT, Team IG-Sigma Sport, Madison Genesis, Node4-Giordana Racing, Team Raleigh, Team UK Youth and 100% ME have all named line-ups for the 200-kilometre race, which comes exactly one week ahead of the first stage of this year’s Tour of Britain.
Premier Calendar winner Evan Oliphant is included for Team Raleigh, the Scotsman hoping to emulate the form which saw him thrive in the national series. Tom Stewart, who completed a one-two for Raleigh in the series, will also feature.
Two time Olympic champion Ed Clancy and 2009 British road champion Kristian House front Rapha Condor JLT’s squad. Clancy will not ride in the Tour of Britain but House, King of the Mountains in 2012, will hope for a strong showing in Suffolk to take on to Peebles on the 15 September.
After two stage wins for Great Britain in the Tour de l’Avenir, Simon Yates returns to the domestic scene with 100%ME, the under 23 British road champion having won August’s Leicester Castle Classic before his heroics in France.
Fellow Tour de l’Avenir riders Ali Slater, Joe Perrett and Sam Harrison will join Yates as will Elite Circuit Series winner George Atkins.
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Madison Genesis include 2012 team pursuit world champion Andrew Tennant, Dean Downing and 2011 Premier Calendar victor Ian Bibby before the team embarks on a first Tour of Britain in its founding year.
Grand Prix of Wales winner Mike Northey rides for Node4-Giordana Racing having finished third overall in the Premier Calendar while Ian Wilkinson, Yanto Barker and Jon Mould will race in a Team UK Youth outfit which dominated the Tour Series.
The challenging parcours will take riders south east of Ipswich racing through Kesgrave, Martlesham and heading out to Rendlesham Forest via Woodbridge to complete a number of loops of a circuit based around the villages of Sutton, Alderton and Hollesley before racing back into town for a technical finale on the Waterfront.
The tenth anniversary edition of the Tour of Britain takes place over eight stages and conclude on Sunday 22 September.
