"It's an important race, not just for the UK" - INEOS Grenadiers hope to work alongside British Cycling in securing future for Tour of Britain

Due to financial concerns both the futures of both the Tour of Britain and its female equivalent, the Women's Tour are currently shrouded under a cloud of uncertainty.

Rumours on the grapevine are that British Cycling will reveal more information about the future of the UK stage races in the coming week. One team that are very interested in keeping the Tour of Britain alive though, are the British-based World Tour team, INEOS Grenadiers.

“We're obviously very interested stakeholders in terms of, you know, a 'home race'. I think it's very sad… maybe this underpins the potential need for change," INEOS Grenadiers' new CEO, John Allert to Cycling Weekly. “All I can say is as a team with British heritage you know, we will work with any stakeholders, British Cycling or any commercial stakeholders, to as quickly as possible see a Tour of Britain back on the calendar."

“I think it's an important race, not just for the UK, but I think some of these national races are huge opportunities for local riders, non WorldTour teams, and for local fans and having a gap on the calendar like that is not good for the sport,” Allert concludes.