Britain’s two UCI Continental teams – Saint Piran and TRINITY Racing – will return to the Tour of Britain in 2023, organisers SweetSpot have announced.
For the third year running, the race has issued early-season invites to Britain’s domestic teams in recognition of the commitment they continue to show towards the domestic racing scene, particularly in the current economic climate.
The Great Britain Cycling Team – who have ridden 15 of the 18 modern Tours to date, including every edition since 2012 – complete today’s team announcement.
This year’s race begins in Greater Manchester on Sunday 3 September and culminates in South Wales eight days later. Live coverage will be available in over 150 countries, including ITV4 in the UK and internationally via Discovery Player and GCN+.
Both Saint Piran and TRINITY Racing made their Tour of Britain debuts in the 2021 edition. Since then, Saint Piran have had two riders – Adam Lewis and Alex Richardson – claim the daily combativity award for their efforts in illuminating the race.
TRINITY Racing have recorded three top-10 stage finishes to date in the Tour. Managed by former British road race champion Peter Kennaugh, the team enjoyed success in April when fledgling American rider Luke Lamperti won the CiCLE Classic, Britain’s only UCI-ranked one-day race for men.
The involvement of a Great Britain national team allows future stars to gain invaluable experience in one of the world’s leading races. Among those who have lined up in the race in home colours are 2021 Giro d’Italia champion Tao Geoghegan Hart, 2018 Vuelta a Espana victor Simon Yates and Grand Tour stage winner Hugh Carthy.
Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director, said: “I’m delighted to confirm that Saint Piran, TRINITY Racing and Great Britain will be on the start line of this year’s Tour of Britain in Greater Manchester. The race benefits significantly from their presence – they not only illuminate the racing, but the experience proves invaluable for all their competing riders. Together with those UCI World and Pro Teams we’ll be announcing in the coming weeks, this year’s race is shaping up nicely!”
Steve Lampier, Saint Piran sports director, said: “The Tour of Britain is the pinnacle of our season. It’s Britain’s biggest race and therefore the most important event on our calendar, so everything’s geared to that first week in September. The race is always hotly contested and gives us a chance for us to go up against the big teams. Given that last year we came close to a victory with Alex [Richardson] on stage three before the race got shortened, the fire is burning very bright to try and better that performance in 2023.”
Peter Kennaugh, TRINITY Racing team manager, said: “We can’t wait to compete in this year’s Tour of Britain. As a British team it’s really special to come home and race in what is the pinnacle of international racing in the UK. We have a very strong group of riders this year who can’t wait to test themselves against some of the top teams in the world. This year’s route looks really exciting and will offer many opportunities for us to showcase what TRINITY Racing can do!”
Details of the other 16 teams competing in this year’s race will be announced in the coming weeks.
