Tom Pidcock will battle Remco Evenepoel for the win at this year's Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men, with the two Olympic gold medallists set to take the start line at the beginning of September.
Soudal Quick-Step's Evenepoel was already confirmed as taking part, but Cycling Weekly learned this week that Ineos Grenadiers' Pidcock will be present at the race.
Evenepoel is set to lead the line for Soudal Quick-Step alongside former world champion Julian Alaphilippe, while Pidcock will likely lead Ineos. It will be one of Alaphilippe's last races for Quick-Step before he leaves for Tudor.
It is understood that much of this year’s Tour of Britain course was designed with the aim of attracting Pidcock to the race once again. The opening two stages alone feature more than 5,000 metres of elevation gain, a prospect which a Classics winner like Pidcock could relish.
Pidcock's presence will automatically see him tagged as a favourite for victory alongside Evenepoel, with the punchy course, especially in the opening days, suiting the pair.
The double-Olympic mountain bike champion has ridden the race twice before. In 2022, Pidcock was second overall before the race was cancelled due to the death of the Queen, finishing behind Gonzalo Serrano (Movistar). He returned to the race last year but pulled out halfway through due to issues with a saddle sore.
Prior to heading to the UK to race once again on home roads, the 25-year-old will ride the mountain bike World Championships in his adopted home of Andorra next weekend. The Yorkshireman is the reigning cross-country MTB world champion after winning the title in Glasgow last summer.
After the Tour of Britain, he is then expected to be riding both the GP de Montréal and GP de Québec in Canada, although that it is not confirmed.
The Yorkshireman has been recently linked with a move away from his current team, although Pidcock has three years left to run on his multi-year deal at Ineos.
Full route details were recently announced for the Tour of Britain with two punchy opening stages in Scotland and northern England. The peloton will then head south with stages in South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and Northamptonshire before its conclusion in Suffolk.
