The GC contenders, the sprinters and the British challenge
Friday 5 September 2014 13:50, UK
The Tour of Britain has once again attracted a high-pedigree field for its 11th edition.
Some of the best riders in the world will be challenging for both stage and overall honours, while a host of British riders will be keen to make their mark on the race.
Here, we look at the riders to keep an eye on…
Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky)
The reigning champion is back to defend his title and will once again be the man to beat. The 34-year-old Briton could find victory harder to come by this time around given that the individual time trial is only 8.8km – half of the length of the TT he comfortably won in last year’s race – but a strong team and a passionate home support will help ensure he is there or thereabouts.
Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step)
One of the brightest young talents in professional cycling, and also one of the most versatile, the 24-year-old Pole could well be Wiggins’s biggest rival for overall victory. He can climb well, is excellent on rolling stages and is also strong in time trials. His form has been up and down all year, but if he is in the mood, he could take some stopping.
Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling)
The Frenchman is using the Tour of Britain to fine-tune his condition ahead of the world championships and comes into the race in good form, having won the Tour du Poitou-Charentes stage race and then the GP Ouest France – Plouay one-day race in his last two outings. The 35-year-old can flourish on all terrains, so should provide a strong challenge.
Leopold Konig (NetApp-Endura)
A seventh-place finish overall at this year’s Tour de France tells you all you need to know about the 26-year-old Czech rider’s talent. Predominantly a climber but no slouch in a time trial either, Konig should be at the sharp end on stage three’s summit finish and is likely to finish high up on the general classification.
Nicolas Roche (Tinkoff-Saxo)
The Irishman is not exactly a home rider, but he will nevertheless be keen to impress on British roads. He usually operates as a support rider for the likes of Alberto Contador, but now he has the chance to step up into a leadership role for Tinkoff-Saxo. Roche is another climber who will be hoping to flourish on stage three.
Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step)
The 29-year-old Manxman is still working his way back to peak fitness following his crash on stage one of the Tour de France in Harrogate in July, but will no doubt be determined to make amends for that disappointment with a strong showing over the coming week. Cavendish has ten Tour of Britain stage victories to his name and has won three stages in each of the last two editions, so even if he isn’t at his best, he should still be a major factor on the sprint stages.
Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano)
The new king of sprinting returns to Britain having won stages one and three of the Tour de France on English soil earlier this year. On his day, the 26-year-old German currently appears unstoppable, and still takes some beating even if his team don’t deliver him to sprints at the head of the peloton. Cavendish will do well to overhaul the German, who starts the race with 11 wins to his name so far this season.
Ben Swift (Team Sky)
The British sprinter’s primary role in the race will be to support Wiggins, but he could well be given licence to challenge for wins on days set to end with bunch finishes. He doesn’t have the raw speed to challenge Cavendish or Kittel on the pan-flat stages, but the more selective days with climbs just before a flat finish could well suit him perfectly.
Sam Bennett (NetApp-Endura)
The promising 23-year-old Irish sprinter is back at the Tour of Britain after making a huge impression at last year’s race, when he took a stage win and two second places. He has since moved to the second-tier NetApp-Endura team and will be looking to continue his affinity with the race. Like Swift, he is well geared towards hillier sprint stages, but also like Swift, he too has a general classification contender to support in team-mate Konig.
Adam Blythe (NFTO Pro Cycling)
The English sprinter left BMC Racing at the end of last season to join new British outfit NFTO and has shown his pedrigree by winning a host of races on the domestic circuit. However, he proved he could also cut it on the international level by taking an impressive win at the RideLondon Classic last month, beating Swift into second place and Bennett into sixth, among others. He will now be looking to follow up that result at the Tour of Britain.
Kristian House (Rapha Condor JLT)
The 34-year-old has become somewhat of a specialist in the mountains classification at the Tour of Britain, winning the competition in 2012 and then finishing runner-up last year, and the former British national road race champion will no doubt have his eyes on the green and white polka dot jersey one again this time around.
Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great Britain)
One of the most exciting young talents in British cycling, the 19-year-old rides for the Bissell Development Team in the United States but has been selected to represent his national squad at his home race. Hart, who is a climbing specialist, won the Tour of Istria and Giro Internazionale della Lunigiana last year, and arrives at the Tour of Britain on the back of an impressive tenth-place finish at the prestigious Tour de l’Avenir under-23 race in France last month. Stage wins will probably prove beyond him, but nevertheless keep an eye out for this potential star of the future.
Scott Thwaites (NetApp-Endura)
The 24-year-old Yorkshireman is another sprint prospect in the NetApp-Endura squad who will be looking to make a big impression on home soil. Like team-mate Bennett, he will have to support the interests of Konig, but don’t surprised to see him challenging for results in the sprint finishes. He finished third in the Commonwealth Games road race last month, so has decent form.
