Former INEOS Grenadiers principal Rod Ellingworth announced as new Race Director for Tour of Britain

After much financial uncertainty recently, the Tour of Britain now looks to be back on more solid ground. Looking forward as the race continues to develop, former INEOS Grenadiers team principal, Rod Ellingworth will be the new Race Director.

“British Cycling has been a huge part of my life and is in many ways like a second family for me,” Ellingworth said after the announcement. “The sport has changed so much since we launched the academy in 2004, but I’m excited by the level of ambition and energy around the events, and want to play my part in protecting and growing them for the next generation. This is a new role and a new set of skills for me, but I’ve been encouraged and supported by other Race Directors in the sport. I’ve spent a good portion of my life on the road at the sport’s biggest races, and will be drawing on all of that experience to make the Tours of Britain the very best they can be."

Tour of Britain's former organisers, Sweetspot entered liquidation at the start of this year and despite some heavy financial problems that meant riders from the 2023 edition of Tour of Britain, including Wout van Aert, hadn't received their prize money, British Cycling assumed control of the race and the female equivalent, the Women's Tour.

“Rod returns to British Cycling with an enormous amount of knowledge and experience, and I know that he is fiercely passionate about helping the races to grow and succeed in the future. We’re looking forward to supporting his development in the role, as part of our commitment to providing opportunities for British talent through our flagship events,” says British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton. “I’m incredibly proud of the work our team has done in a short space of time to progress plans for the events, and we look forward to sharing further details of the Tour of Britain Women route over the coming weeks. It continues to be a real race against time, but we remain excited by the opportunity and overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support being shown towards the events.”