Tour Series
| Date | May / June |
|---|---|
| Region | Great Britain |
| Discipline | Road |
| Type | Criterium series |
| Organiser | Sweetspot |
| Race director | Mick Bennett |
| First edition | 2009 |
| Editions | 8 (as of 2016) |
| First winner | Team Halfords Bikehut |
| Most wins | JLT–Condor (3 wins) |
| Most recent | JLT–Condor |
The Tour Series is an annual series of cycling criterium races which started in 2009. It was sponsored by cycling retailer Halfords from 2010 – 2012 and televised by ITV4 in the UK. The competition emphasises team effort with individual wins deemed less important.
The races are held over 1 hour of racing plus 5 laps. The team standings for each round are calculated by adding together the positions of the top three riders of each team (5 riders start for each team) and the team with the lowest score wins, and get 10 points for the overall championship. Each team gets 1 point less than the one in front of them, so second gets 9, third gets 8, and so on. In addition, there is the sprint competition. There are three sprints every race, and the top five riders are awarded points based on place: 1st, 5; 2nd, 4; 3rd, 3; 4th, 2 and 5th, 1. There is a competition each round, as well as an overall competition for the whole series.
The first series had 10 rounds across England. The first ever round was held in Milton Keynes, and the final round was held in Southend. Halfords BikeHut had the strongest team, made up largely of powerful sprinters who were suited to the criteriums. Few of the circuits were hilly, which was seen to aid Halfords.
Rounds
The series was now sponsored by Halfords, who no longer had their own team. There were again 10 rounds, including the round at Durham with its steep cobbled climb. This time Motorpoint, led by veteran Malcolm Elliott came out as victors, with Malcolm himself winning in Durham.
Rounds
The series was cut to only 8 rounds. The early stages were dominated by Rapha Condor–Sharp who won all of the first four rounds, both individually and as a team. This run was broken by Team Endura in the next two rounds, firstly winning the individual race, and then in the 6th round in Oldham, winning individually and overall.
Rounds
There were 11 rounds in the 2012 series. The early stages were dominated by Endura Racing who won all of the first four rounds as a team.
Rounds
There were 12 rounds in the 2013 series.
Rounds
There were 10 rounds (and 12 races) in the 2014 series.
Rounds
There were 10 rounds (and 12 races) in the 2015 series.
Rounds
There were 10 rounds (and 11 races) in the 2016 series.
Rounds
There are 10 rounds (and 11 races) in the 2017 series, condensed into the month of May and including Saturday night races for the first time.
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