2010 Tour Series teams and dates revealed

With three months to go until the start of this year's Tour Series, Cycling Weekly can reveal the teams it expects will be on the start line come the end of May.

Last year's series was a great success with solid viewing figures on the road and at home with teams clamouring at the opportunity to take part in this year's event.  

Endura, Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta, Rapha Condor Sharp, Raleigh, Sigma Sport Specialized (all UCI Continental-ranked teams) will all be riding along with Corley Cervélo, with Pendragon Le Col Colnago and Cycle Premier.com both expected to make the cut from the original 17 teams that applied.

Two continental teams are also widely rumoured to be taking part and are expected to complete the ten teams that will contest this year's series.

Last year's sixth-place finishers Sports Beans, now under the name of Wilier, unfortunately missed out on a place.

"To say I'm shocked is putting it lightly," explained team manager and rider Ben Luckwell. "I've got pretty realistic ambitions about what this team can achieve and was 95 per cent sure we'd get a ride. There's not much we can do about it [though], we've just got to move on".

Make it a date

This year's Tour Series will run for five weeks through the summer from the end of May until late June Cycling Weekly can reveal.

This year the event has been planned to coincide better with the National Circuit Race Series (which runs from May 28 until August 8) to make it easier for teams travelling between races.

Blackpool is widely rumoured to have lost its place in the series, whilst Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, which succumbed to major flooding in 2007, will make its debut.

Exeter, Southport and Woking have all been given a second showing in this year's Series with the other locations set to be announced next week.

Tour Series teams

Endura

Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta

Rapha Condor Sharp

Raleigh

Sigma Sport Specialized

Corley Cervélo

Pendragon Le Col Colnago

Cycle Premier.com/Metaltek

Continental team TBC

Continental team TBC

Tour Series dates

First round (TBC) May 25

Second round (TBC) May 27

Tewkesbury June 1

Exeter June 3

Southport June 8

Sixth round (TBC) June 10

Seventh round (TBC) June 15

Eighth round (TBC) June 17

Ninth round (TBC) June 22

Woking June 24

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