Bold combo Pidcock, nice Dutchmen and... comeback of double Olympic champion Evenepoel in Kelso

The Tour of Britain kicks off in Kelso, Scotland, on Tuesday in the shadow of the Vuelta a Espana. Only four WorldTour teams are making the trip to Britain, but that shouldn't spoil the fun: in this case, it seems to be "quality over quantity," so we can still get ready for an enjoyable six days through the United Kingdom.

The crowdpleaser will be two-time Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel. "I'm looking forward to racing in the Tour of Britain. It will be my first appearance after the Olympics. It was nice to refuel after this period, but now it's time to put on a jersey again. I'm looking forward to the races this fall. It's extraordinary that I can ride in Scotland, where I have memories of my world time trial title last year," the Belgian said.

Sports director Tom Steels did the preview on behalf of the team. "We have a strong team for this race. The selection will be made in the first three days. We will see what Julian Alaphilippe and Remco can do on that hilly terrain. Three days after that, a sprint seems to be a big possibility. There, we will see if we can put Paul Magnier in contention. His performance in Plouay was already a good sign. So we are looking forward to a nice week of confidently racing," Steels said ahead of the race.

Soudal Quick-Step may be the strongest team on paper, but they will not get it as a gift. For example, Tom Pidcock is at the start on behalf of INEOS Grenadiers just two days after the World Mountain Bike Championship. "I tried my best to stay focused and prepared after the Games. It was a great motivation for me to defend my title, but it wasn't enough," the number three of this year's World Championships announced in Andorra.

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Dutch contributors include Van Uden and Poels

dsm-firmenich PostNL is also participating, with Casper van Uden and Oscar Onley: the latter will start the race in his hometown of Kelso. "We are highly motivated for the Tour of Britain and want to continue the momentum the team has achieved after some good performances in recent weeks. Oscar is targeting the GC after his promising ride on the Tour of Poland, and for the sprints, we have a speedy guy with Casper," said sport director Pim Ligthart.

At Bahrain Victorious, Wout Poels is in the game. 'Together with Pello Bilbao, he belongs to the senior riders who can watch the leading riders. Wout will be our road captain and has already competed in the Tour of Britain five times, in which he managed to win a stage each time," reported the team in its press release. However, the Dutchman, who will be moving to the Astana Qazaqstan Team next season, will not immediately find a course to suit him.