Big showdown expected at Blackpool Nocturne

A revenge match could electrify the final event in the Nocturne series on the Golden Mile circuit on the Blackpool seafront on Saturday evening, August 1, when national road race champion Kristian House lines up alongside Cervelo’s Dan Lloyd, the man he beat for the title in Wales in June.

Backed by full strength Rapha-Condor team, House will have his work cut out if the Brits from the recent Tour de France ride are still on form. He could be up against Garmin’s David Millar, winner of the first round in the Nocturne series in Edinburgh.

Tour veteran and criterium specialist Antonio Tauler is also confirmed, and organiser James Pope hopes to announce some other big names soon: “We are in talks with a number of riders currently on the Tour de France, and we should know towards the end of that race which of them may come to Blackpool.”

Swiss track and crit specialist Franco Marvulli is to ride for the Science in Sport team. Others to watch include Russell Downing (CandiTV) winner on the Smithfield Nocturne, also Malcolm Elliot and Graham Briggs.

And if House can’t win, look to the other class acts in Rapha-Condor, men like Olympic medallist Chris Newton, Tom Southam, Simon Richardson, Matt Cronshaw and Darren Lapthorne.

The circuit is based on Blackpool Tower and North Promenade. Warm up events before the Elite race are the folding bike race and a special Hoteliers Challenge.

Earlier in the day the Blackpool Sportive will take place, the full cycling programme making this famous seaside resort a Mecca for sporting cyclists over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Go to www.nocturneseries.com for full details and to enter the races and visit www.visitblackpool.com for ideas to make a weekend of it.