The Slovenian star is unlikely to feature in the UAE Team Emirates line-up for the upcoming six-day event. Although Tadej Pogačar was initially scheduled to compete in the Vuelta a España after securing his fourth Tour de France victory, he withdrew earlier this week citing fatigue. He now plans to return to racing at the GPs de Québec and Montréal in Canada ahead of the World Championships.
Alongside UAE, eight other WorldTour teams are confirmed for the race starting in Suffolk on 2 September: Visma-Lease a Bike, Groupama-FDJ, Bahrain Victorious, Ineos Grenadiers, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Soudal Quick-Step, Lidl-Trek, and Picnic PostNL. Groupama-FDJ, like UAE, will make their first appearance at the event. Soudal Quick-Step, Ineos Grenadiers, and Visma-Lease a Bike are the most successful teams in modern Tour of Britain history, with a combined 64 stage wins. While Geraint Thomas has been announced for the race which will mark his retirement in his hometown of Cardiff no other riders have been confirmed yet. Some riders may use the Tour of Britain as preparation for the World Championships, just as Wout van Aert did in 2021 and 2023, and he may once again be part of the Visma squad.
In addition, eight ProTeams will participate. Israel-Premier Tech last year’s winning team with Stevie Williams returns, along with Uno-X Mobility, Unibet Tietema-Rockets, Kern Pharma, Flanders-Baloise, and Q36.5 Pro Cycling, which features Tom Pidcock. Tudor Pro Cycling, home to two-time World Champion Julian Alaphilippe, will make its Tour of Britain debut. Also returning is Anicolor-Tien 21, a Portuguese Continental squad known for their aggressive racing last year. They will be the sole UCI Continental team in the race. As usual, Great Britain will also field a six-rider national team.
“This year’s line-up for the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men is among the strongest we’ve ever had, highlighting the prestige the event holds among UCI WorldTour and ProTeams,” said race managing director Jonathan Day. “Anticipation is growing for September, we’re expecting a thrilling and fiercely contested edition.” The race begins in Woodbridge, Suffolk, on 2 September.
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