Four-time British National Time Trial Champion Alex Dowsett will return to this year’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain, leading the Movistar Team in the eight day race that gets underway in Edinburgh on Sunday 3 September.
Dowsett will start the race as one of the favourites thanks to the 10-mile/16-kilometre individual time trial on his home roads in Essex on Stage Five (Thursday 7 September), which takes place entirely within the Tendring district at Clacton-on-Sea.
Commenting on the news, Alex Dowsett said; “I’m very excited to be returning to the OVO Energy Tour of Britain again, this year’s route looks pretty good for me and unsurprisingly I’m very excited for a 10 in Essex! Movistar will be a force to be reckoned with again this year I’m sure.”
The 28-year-old has ridden the race on six previous occasions, winning an individual time trial in London in 2011 and memorably snatching the race lead in Hemel Hempstead in 2014
Dowsett joins a list of star names that includes World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin and Team Sky’s Michal Kwiatkowski, the current Polish Time Trial Champion, who will both be in contention for the individual time trial honours in Tendring on Stage Five.
Also confirmed for the OVO Energy Tour of Britain is winner of the Prudential RideLondon – Surrey Classic and recently crowned European Champion Alexander Kristoff, while British duo Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas are expected to ride should both recover from their Tour de France crash injuries in time.
A provisional rider list featuring all 120-riders for the OVO Energy Tour of Britain will be published towards the end of August.
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step, taking place between Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 September 2017.