2004 Paris Roubaix champion Magnus Bäckstedt will be riding the Sigma Sport/Integra SP Surrey League Revolutions 5 Day which starts on Friday, August 19 at Rake in West Sussex. The Liquigas-Bianchi professional pulled out of this year Tour de France and has been suffering from sinusitis. Bäckstedt is now putting in the final preparations for the Vuelta a España.
Also down to start is top British team Recycling.co.uk, which will field 10 riders in A and B teams including Chris Newton, Robin Sharman, Ben Greenwood and on-form British national champion Russell Downing, who won the UCI ranked Havant GP on Sunday.
Former wold track silver medalist Tony Gibb (PCA) teams up with James Taylor and four riders brought over from South Africa to help Tony in the tough 500-mile race in Surrey and Sussex finishing on Tuesday with the hardest stage around the Ashdown Forest. However Gibb will find this a different matter from the two races the team have already contested in the UK over the last week, where they simply destroyed the hopes of the local talent.
Other top UK teams DFL, Viner Bikes and Fuji Bikes are also competing. Yanto Barker has shown he is currently the strongest in the now stabilised set up of DFL squad and he may able to take time on many adversaries on the days where it's simply down to strength and ability rather than team tactics.
More information at www.surreyleague.co.uk
Courtesy of Gerry McManus
