News: ToB Qualification Process

Unlike the Tour de Yorkshire which this year invited all six British UCI Continental teams, Britain’s leading domestic teams will once again have to battle it out during the 2019 road racing season to earn a place in this year’s Tour of Britain.

News: ToB Qualification Process

The qualification process certainly puts a lot of pressure on teams and its riders as qualifying for the event is a key goal for team sponsors to be part of. In 2019, the six British registered UCI Continental teams competing for four invites to the Tour of Britain (Saturday 7 – 14 September) are Canyon DHB p/b Bloor Homes, Madison Genesis, Ribble Pro Cycling, Swift Carbon Pro Cycling; Team Wiggins Le Col and Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother.

The qualification process has been devised once again by the SweetSpot Group, organisers of the Tour of Britain, and British Cycling.

Fourteen events make up the qualification schedule, starting from the East Cleveland Klondike GP on Sunday 14 April and running through to the Isle of Man Three-Day event (2-4 August), ensuring that successful teams have a minimum of four weeks’ preparation for the Tour of Britain.

The qualification events are as follows:

— East Cleveland Klondike GP, 14 April
— Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, UCI 1.2 race, 28 April
— Tour de Yorkshire, UCI 2.HC race, 2-5 May
— Chestnut Homes Lincoln Grand Prix, 12 May
— Tour Series (overall team standing, 25 May
— Lancaster Grand Prix, 9 June
— Bristol, 16 June (Cancelled)
— Tour of the Reservoir, 22-23 June
— British Road Championships road race, 30 June
— Beaumont Trophy, 7 July
— Stockton Grand Prix, 14 July
— National Circuit Series (overall individual standings), 24 July
— South Coast Classic, 28 July
— Manx International Stage Race, 2-4 August

The six eligible teams will score points on a 10-8-6-4-2-1 scale based on either their highest overall finisher (best placed general classification rider for the multi-day events), overall individual standing (National Circuit Series) or overall team standing (Tour Series).

Teams will be allowed to dropped the score for their worst result.

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director, said: “The team qualification process will once again reward the best teams for their performances over the course of the 2019 domestic racing season with a much-coveted invitation to the OVO Energy Tour of Britain. The rules and regulations have been designed to ensure that the British racing calendar is supported to its fullest throughout the year, while also unequivocally acting as the fairest way of recognising our best-performing, UCI Continental-registered teams.”

Full rules and regulations for the team qualification process, as well as updated standings after each event, can be found here.