Cycling Olympians head to Rochdale

Ed Clancy

Cycling Olympians Ed Clancy and Bradley Wiggins have announced they’ll be taking part in this year’s Tour of Britain, the UK’s equivalent of the Tour de France.

The cycling superstars will gear up for the start of the eight-day race outside Rochdale Town Hall in September along with 98 more of the world’s top cyclists.

Thousands of spectators are expected to descend on the town centre for the race with hundreds more choosing to watch the first sprint of the 2010 challenge in Norden.

The race, described as the toughest in seven years, takes the riders from Rochdale to Blackpool on the first stage, finishing eight gruelling days later in London.

Tim Nuttall, Tourism Officer for Rochdale Borough Council, said: “It’s fantastic that Olympic cyclists and other international cycling stars are coming to Rochdale for the Tour. Spectators will have the chance to meet the competitors before the race as they gather in the town centre so there’ll be a great atmosphere and it’ll be a fantastic event not just for cycling fans.”

Bradley Wiggins will headline the Sky Professional Cycling Team’s line-up in 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.

Also named in Sky’s provisional line-up for The Tour are another duo of Brits, Tour de Wallonie winner and fifth placed overall in last year’s Tour of Britain Russell Downing, and 2008 Tour of Britain runner up Steve Cummings.

Antipodean duo Matthew Hayman and Greg Henderson round out the Team Sky roster. Australian Hayman is the current Commonwealth Games Road Race Champion, while New Zealander Henderson won the opening road stage of Paris – Nice this Spring, and finished on the podium in the Tour Down Under.