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Tour de France top 10 finisher Dan Martin will lead Etixx Quick-Step as the UCI WorldTour team complete the 21 team line-up for the Tour of Britain, which gets underway in Glasgow on Sunday (4 September).
Martin, a stage winner at both Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Volta a Catalunya this year will headline the Etixx – Quick-Step line-up for Britain's biggest professional cycle race, which he'll ride for the first time since 2013, when he finished 13th in the overall standings. Etixx Quick-Step hold the record for the most stage wins in the Tour of Britain (18 victories) and have won three stages in each of the past two editions of the Tour of Britain. With a very strong six-rider line-up the team look set to add to their success in the race. Joining Dan Martin will be three-time World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin, Tour de Suisse stage winner Maximiliano Richeze, Lukasz Wisniowski and stagiare Adrien Costa. Also riding is Belgian Julien Vermote, who won Stage Seven to Brighton in his last appearance in the Tour of Britain in 2014. 30-year-old Irishman Dan Martin talked of his preparation and the expectations he has for the Tour of Britain: "Doing the Tour de France and the Olympic Games was very tiring, physically and mentally. After the road race, I stayed in Rio to recover and follow my girlfriend, who was competing at the Olympics. It was nice, I cleaned up my mind and once I returned home I started building up for the last part of the season. Even though I don't know what to expect from this race, I am keen on honouring it with a win, especially as in the past I came close to a victory, but missed out on one. The team is strong, so let's see what we're going to do.” For Adrien Costa, this will be his first race with Etixx – Quick-Step, which he'll do after coming third at the prestigious Tour de l'Avenir. One of the most fascinating prospects on the Under-23 scene, the 19-year-old American has enjoyed a strong and impressive season so far, winning the Tour de Bretagne and completing the arduous Tour of Utah in second place, ahead of many established WorldTour riders. "After the Tour de l'Avenir I enjoyed a few days of relaxation and much needed recovery in France. L'Avenir was a big season objective and with two stage wins and a 3rd overall, it went really great for our team. It was an honor to race against the best U23 riders in the world, and at the same time, a huge experience”, said Adrien Costa. "I am super excited to do the Tour of Britain with Etixx – Quick-Step; it's been a dream since I was a kid to race in the pro peloton beside all these legends of the sport. I'm looking forward to a fun, hard week of racing, and I hope to learn as much as I can and give maximum contribution to the team's efforts throughout the race.” Already confirmed for the Tour of Britain are six Olympic medallists from Rio, headline by British Gold medallists Sir Bradley Wiggins and Owain Doull, and also including Tom Dumoulin and Mark Cavendish. In total 21 teams will contest the 2016 Tour of Britain, including 11 UCI WorldTour teams, the highest number to have competed in Britain since the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart. Seven British teams will line-up for the Tour of Britain, led by Team Sky and also including Team WIGGINS and a Great Britain national team. Spectators in Scotland will have the chance to meet all of the teams at a free-to-attend Team Presentation event on Saturday (3 September) evening in George Square, Glasgow with events and activities from 4pm. Three-hours of live coverage will be broadcast from each stage of the Tour of Britain, with both ITV4 and the BIKE Channel UK showing the race live, while ITV4 will also air a one-hour highlights programme each day. The 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. |
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