Cycling - Kendal joy at staging Tour of Britain start (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Cycling - Kendal joy at staging Tour of Britain start

10:59am Thursday 21st April 2011 in Sport

KENDAL has been selected to host a race start in this year’s Tour of Britain cycle race.

The town will be involved on day two on Monday, September 12, after the international field of riders has arrived from the Scottish Borders.

The decision to return to the Lake District town follows a successful stage-five finish on the Beast Banks hill back in 2007 when hundreds of people lined the streets to see British Olympian Mark Cavendish finish runner-up.

Imelda Winters-Lewis, SLDC Arts and Events Programme Manager, said SLDC was 'delighted' to be staging the 2011 tour.

"The Tour of Britain is the last road race before the Olympic Games so it's a great training event and a fantastic opportunity for people to see famous cyclists in action," she added.

Sixteen professional teams will take part in the Tour headed by the UCI ProTeams of Sky, including Bradley Wiggins.

Stage Three will take place in and around Stoke-on-Trent before stages in Wales, the south west and London.

An individual time trial will also feature for the first time in six years with a 10-kilometre test against the clock on the final morning of The Tour in central London.

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain Race Director, said: "After the success of the 2010 Tour of Britain we are pleased to unveil another tough and demanding route that visits England, Scotland and Wales, making it a true Tour of Britain."

Home interest will be provided by the five British UCI Continental teams, Endura Racing, Motorpoint, Rapha Condor Sharp, Sigma Sport - Specialized and Team Raleigh, all of whom will be hoping to become the first British pro team to win a stage of The Tour of Britain.