Cycling rise of ‘real deal’ Blackmore gets high-profile test in Tour of Britain

Cycling rise of ‘real deal’ Blackmore gets high-profile test in Tour of Britain

02-Sep-2024 11:25:13 | The Guardian

Six-day race begins on Tuesday in the Scottish Borders, with young Israel-Premiertech rider hoping to catch the eye

The Tour of Britain has a long history of showcasing the best young British cyclists, and the 2024 edition – relaunched by the governing body after the demise of long-time organisers SweetSpot – will be no exception. The inclusion in this year’s race, which begins on Tuesday, of one of this year’s breakthrough stars on the world stage, 21-year-old Joe Blackmore, could prove as memorable as the debut in 2013 of future Tour of Spain winner Simon Yates, or the 2005 debut of an assertive young sprinter from the Isle of Man, Mark Cavendish.

The rise of Blackmore, the young man from Sidcup, has been seamless since he began taking road racing seriously at the start of last year, the graph of his progression not so much a curve as a near-vertical line. The latest leap came just over a week ago, when he became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de l’Avenir, the week-long “Tour de France of the future” for under-25s, which has been going since 1961 and has been a showcase for talents such as Tadej Pogacar, Laurent Fignon and Miguel Induráin.

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