Pro tour stars line up for Edinburgh Nocturne

More pro tour cycling stars are confirmed to race at the second Edinburgh Nocturne at the Grassmarket on 3 July.

HTC-Columbia’s Matt Goss, Saxo Bank’s Jonny Bellis and Russell Downing of Team Sky will join Garmin-Transitions riders Cameron Meyer and Luke Durbridge, who were confirmed earlier this month.

The Edinburgh Nocturne coincides with the start of the Tour de France, which has meant that quite a few continental riders are available to race in Edinburgh.

“Initially we were worried that a clash with the start of the Tour would make it difficult to get riders,” said event organiser James Pope. “However, there are only nine riders from each team in the Tour so the other riders have been looking for racing and have been contacting us eager to come to Edinburgh.

“We are really pleased to have four Pro Tour teams represented. Meyer and Durbridge have already made their intentions clear about working together for the win so the calibre of racing is set to be superb.”

Strong squads from British teams Rapha Condor Sharp, Endura and Motorpoint Marshalls-Pasta will all be ready to take on the continental pros. These teams are coming off the back of a packed criterium programme in June that included the HTC Smithfield Nocturne last weekend (19 June).

Current National Criterium Champion Russell Downing will also be a strong contender and will be lining up against his old teammates from Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta.

“It will be interesting to see if Russell gets any help from Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta, particularly if they want to control Meyer,” said Pope. “We also can’t rule out the likes of Kristian House who came second last year, out-sprinting Meyer. Kristian has said the circuit suits him so will be another danger man.”

The event kicks off at 6pm and is free to attend. Other races include the Cycling Weekly Support Race, Edinburgh Team Challenge and Marshalls Pasta Folding Bike Race. For more information visit the Edinburgh Nocturne website.