Saint Piran revs up for The Tour Series

The 2021 Tour Series gets under way on Sunday 8th August and, for the first time, Saint Piran will have teams in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

 The Tour Series, launched in 2009, is the UK’s premier city centre circuit event and attracts some of the top riders in the sport. The 2020 event fell victim to Covid, but it’s back this year, with a three race series starting on Sunday 8th August in Guisborough. The series moves on to Sunderland on Tuesday 10th August and finishes on Thursday 12th August in Scotland at Castle Douglas.

 Races take place on tight, twisty 1.3km circuits and run for a fixed time - 50 minutes for the women and 75 minutes for the men. The Tour Series is a team event, meaning that each race, and ultimately the series, is won by the team with the lowest cumulative time. Teams select five riders for each race from a squad of up to eight, with team managers picking the best combination of riders for the individual circuits.

 As well as the team prize, there is also a points prize. Points are awarded for intermediate sprints as well as overall finishing position in each round, with the rider winning most points by the end of the series taking the Eisberg points jersey. The defending champion is, of course, Saint Piran’s own Steve Lampier, following his victory in the 2019 event (and Steve also won the jersey back in 2011).

 Saint Piran Team Principal, Ricci Pascoe said:

 “The Tour Series is an event that every team aspires to be part of, especially as it receives great television coverage (ITV4 at 7pm). This is not our first time in the event, but it’s our debut as a UCI Continental team. We always love to put on a show!”

Senior pro, Steve Lampier says:

“The Tour Series is an event we always look forward to, and the exposure it gives to Saint Piran and to our sponsors is crucial. We’re just back from a successful couple of weeks racing in France and Belgium and we’re raring to go.”

For the first time, Saint Piran will also be entering a team in the women’s Tour Series, with those races taking place on the same circuits immediately before the men’s event. This is a big step up for the women, but they are definitely up for the challenge. As Ricci says:

“We’re loving the chance to put our message across that Saint Piran is about engagement and inclusivity. This is just year one - we have ambitious plans for the women’s platform over the next three to five years. Our women’s team is going to enjoy their first taste of the Tour Series, and it gives us the opportunity to talk about getting women inspired in cycling.”

 Ricci adds

 “ We must give credit to the Series organisers, SweetSpot, who have changed the face of UK cycling. Mick Bennett (SweetSpot Director) believed in Saint Piran’s ethos, he backed us and has given us the opportunity to shine – something we have eagerly accepted.”

The provisional Saint Piran squads are:

 Saint Piran

Stephen Bradbury

Iwan Evans

Jacob Hennessey

Steve Lampier

Ollie Maxwell

Tom Mazzone

Bradley Symonds

Jenson Young

Saint Piran Women’s Race Team

Bexy Dew

Jenny Bolsom

Lucia Bruton

Evie Lane

Gemma Sargent

Christina Wiejak

The 2021 Tour Series will feature 13 men’s and 15 women’s teams – a full list can be found HERE