Scottish Borders hosts stage one of the men's Tour of Britain race

The Scottish Borders has hosted nine previous stages of the men’s race since 2009. Credit: ITV Border.

One hundred and eight riders are underway in stage one of the men’s Tour of Britain race, taking on more than 110 miles across the Scottish Borders.

Kelso-born Oscar Onley is taking on the race in his hometown as part of Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL, while TRINITY Racing’s Callum Thornley, from Peebles, will also enjoy home support as they race across the Borders.

Eighteen of the world’s top cycling teams include Olympic gold medalist Remco Evenepoel and double world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe, both racing for Sousa Quick-Step.

The Scottish Borders has hosted nine previous stages of the men’s race since 2009.

Kelso has been at the centre of the men’s race on three occasions - stage finishes in 2015 won by Elia Viviani, 2017 won by Caleb Ewan, and a start and finish won by Matteo Trentin in 2019.

Credit: ITV Border.

The town is home to the well-known Kelso Wheelers Cycling Club which helped develop local athlete Oscar Olney.

Oscar said: "It's really nice, obviously I've ridden these roads since I was about ten years old. Now to be doing them in a race and against some high level competition is really exciting."

The racers are taking on two sprints and three king of the mountain climbs in the Scottish Borders throughout the day.

Sprint areas allow riders to travel as fast as they can, while King of the Mountain climbs mean points are awarded to the cyclist who is the first to reach the top of each climb.

The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men involves six stages: stage one from Kelso to Kelso, 3 September, stage two from Darlington to Redcar, 4 September, stage three from Sheffield to Barnsley, 5 September, Derby to Newark-on-Trent, 6 September, Northampton to Northampton, 7 September and Lowestoft to Felixstowe, 8 September 2024.

The 18 teams involved in the five day competition:

  • Bahrain Victorious (Bahrain)

  • INEOS Grenadiers (Great Britain)

  • Soudal Quick-Step (Belgium)

  • Team dsm-firmenich PostNL (Netherlands)

  • Israel – Premier Tech (Israel)

  • Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team (Switzerland)

  • Uno-X Mobility (Norway)

  • Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team (France)

  • Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ (France)

  • Global 6 United (Luxembourg)

  • Lidl – Trek Future Racing (USA)

  • Project Echelon Racing (USA)

  • REMBE Pro Cycling Team Sauerland (Germany)

  • Sabgal / Anicolor (Portugal)

  • Saint Piran (Great Britain)

  • TRINITY Racing (Great Britain)

  • Van Rysel – Roubaix (France)

  • Great Britain Cycling Team

Across the day in Kelso there are a variety of activities for locals and visitors to enjoy. Children will also be able to get involved with cycling sessions and listen to live music.

Councillor Scott Hamilton, Scottish Borders Council’s Executive Member for Community and Business Development, believes it is great to see “so many activities taking place throughout Kelso and Melrose to support the race.”

He said: “There is so much to do, for people of all ages and it is fantastic to see some big names getting involved too.

“It is shaping up to be an active couple of days and I would urge those thinking of attending to get involved.”

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