Remco Evenepoel to ride Tour of Britain Men before leaving Soudal Quick-Step, team confirms
The six-stage race will be one of the Belgian's final outings in Quick-Step colours


Remco Evenepoel is to ride the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men in what will be one of his final competitive outings in Soudal Quick-Step colours.
It will be the second time the Belgian has ridden the race, which runs from 2-7 September, starting in Woodbridge, Suffolk and finishing six stages later in Cardiff.
The make-up of the rest of the seven-man team has yet to announced, but Evenepoel's participation has been confirmed by the team.
There had been speculation that he might not make another appearance in Soudal colours, following his widely publicised transfer from the Belgian team to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
But the 25-year-old has plans to ride both the World Championship road race and time trial in Rwanda at the end of September, where he will look to defend his rainbow bands in the ITT and win them back in the road race.
He attended the Tour of Britain Men last year a month after winning both the Olympic Games road race and time trial in Paris. But having trained in Spain since the Games, Evenepoel struggled in the cooler conditions in the UK.
"I really suffered from the cold," he told reporters mid-race. "After spending a month in Spain with temperatures around forty degrees, finding myself here with ten degrees and rain was a real shock for the body."
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
He went on to place 28th on GC, with a best stage finish of fifth on the lumpy second stage from Darlington to Redcar.
There are no time trials in this year's Tour of Britain, but there are three punchy finishes, which could be a good test for the hills of Kigali later in September. With the full route revealed for the race this week, fans can work out where to see the Olympic champion.
It will be his first race since he abandoned the Tour de France on stage 14.
Evenepoel's move from Soudal Quick-Step, where he will have spent seven seasons, to Red Bull, had been rumoured for months and often touted as 'the worst kept secret in the peloton'. Now it is official, the team dynamic going forward will be interesting.
Also set to be on the start line at the Tour of Britain is Geraint Thomas, for whom the Tour of Britain will be the final race of his long career, and who will be honoured in his home town of Cardiff on the final stage.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.
Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.
He has worked at a variety of races, from the Classics to the Giro d'Italia – and this year will be his seventh Tour de France.
A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.