Tour of Britain Neutral Service p/b Brother UK

The Neutral Service p/b Brother UK in-race support crews will be at the side of professional cycling’s biggest stars at this year’s Tour of Britain starting on Sunday

Tour of Britain Neutral Service p/b Brother UK

The Neutral Service p/b Brother UK in-race support crews will be at the side of professional cycling’s biggest stars at this year’s Tour of Britain. Brother UK’s distinctive vehicles, emblazoned with its brand promise, At Your Side, will form a valuable part of the race convoy when it rolls out of Penzance on Sunday, September 5, supporting the eight-day stage race.

The Neutral Service p/b Brother UK support crews already provide a vital service to British Cycling’s National Road Series and National Road and Time-Trial Championships, but their presence at the Tour of Britain will place them at the side of the biggest teams in the sport.

“It’s a big step up for our crews and vehicles to be called upon to support a UCI 2.HC race,” said Phil Jones MBE, Brother UK’s Managing Director. “The wide range of technical set-ups, in terms of wheels, groupsets and braking systems in use by WorldTour teams, has presented us with a fresh technical challenge to meet. We’re busy preparing and ensuring the vehicles are equipped with everything they need to provide a world-class neutral support service.”

“As Official Print and Results Partner, Brother UK already enjoyed a close relationship with Britain’s biggest bike race, an association that began in 2014 and has grown closer ever since. Strengthening that relationship by serving as neutral service provider proves the genuine value of our motto, At Your Side. “We’re looking forward to the Grand Départ in Penzance on Sunday, September 5 and the opportunity to prove the strength of our values in the most demanding environment.”

The service is led by Tony Barry, formerly a board member at British Cycling and manager of the Great Britain cycling team. Decades of service to elite cycle sport, including at the Olympic Games, have equipped him with a deep understanding of the demands of bike racing at the highest levels.

The seventeenth edition of the modern Tour of Britain starts in Penzance on Sunday, September 5 and finishes one week later in Aberdeen. Other start and finish towns for its eight stages include Bodmin, Sherford, Exeter, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Aberaeron, Great Orme, Alderley Park, Warrington, Carlisle, Gateshead, Hawick, Edinburgh and Stonehaven. ITV4 will broadcast the race live and in full to a UK audience. Coverage on Eurosport and other outlets will reach more than 150 countries and an expected audience of more than 30 million viewers.

World champion Julian Alaphilippe heads this year’s roster, alongside his Deceuninck- Quick-Step team-mate and former world champion Mark Cavendish, who this year equalled Eddy Merckx’s record for the number of stage wins at the Tour de France. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) is another huge name atop an impressive start list. The Belgian champion won a silver medal at the recent Olympic Games in Tokyo and three stages of the Tour de France in July.

The Tour of Britain’s winner’s roster rivals any race in professional cycling. Matthieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), the world cyclo-cross champion, won the most recent edition in 2019.