JLT Condor, ONE Pro Cycling, Madison Genesis and Team WIGGINS moved closer to securing their place at this year’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain after strong performances at this weekend’s two-day Tour of Reservoir in Northumberland, which was also the opening round of British Cycling’s HSBC UK Grand Prix Series.

Yorkshireman Tom Moses sealed the overall victory for JLT Condor, who have ridden every edition of Britain’s national tour in their various guises since 2005, to extend their lead at the top of the qualification process with just the Bristol GP (8 July) and Stockton GP (15 July) remaining.

The qualification criteria was created by SweetSpot, the organisers of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, and is agreed by British Cycling. It has been in place since the 2016 editions of the race, and was set up to ensure a fair and transparent procedure for the selection of Britain’s UCI Continental teams in the race. Furthermore, because teams count their best eight scores from the nine British-based races, the domestic calendar is strengthened by this additional, season-long objective.

As per previous years, Britain’s UCI Continental teams are competing for four places in the 2018 OVO Energy Tour of Britain. While Vitus Pro Cycling and Holdsworth Pro Racing can now no longer qualify, five teams remain in the hunt for selection.

Taking into account each teams’ one dropped score (for their weakest result or, in Team WIGGINS’ case, non-selection for the Tour de Yorkshire), JLT Condor top the competition with 35 points, two ahead of ONE Pro Cycling who are now on the verge of competing in the race for the fourth year running. OVO Energy Tour Series runners-up Madison Genesis are on 32 points.

The fourth and final spot is incredibly tight, as Team WIGGINS sit on 30 points, just one ahead of Tour Series champions Canyon Eisberg.

Teams will score points in nine events with the highest placed rider from each team scoring points on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.  The highest placed rider will receive seven points for their team, the first rider from the second highest placed team six points and so on down to one point.

Those British teams who qualify for the race will join these 14 squads at Britain’s leading stage race:

UCI WorldTour Teams
BMC Pro Cycling
Lotto Soudal
Mitchelton Scott
Movistar Team
Quick-Step Floors
Team Dimension Data
Team EF Education First – Drapac
Team Katusha Alpecin
Team Lotto NL Jumbo
Team Sky

UCI Professional Continental Teams
Aqua Blue Sport
Direct Energie
Wanty – Groupe Gobert

National Teams
Great Britain