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Tony Doyle MBE, former world champion and event director for the Tour of Britain said:
Its great that the top three pro tour teams want to race at the Tour of Britain. The quality of teams and riders is building every year and 2006 will be the best yet.
Phonak has just had a great Giro dItalia and I know the team will want to continue their good form at both the Tour de France and the Tour of Britain.
But theyll be up against it with both Ivan Bassos CSC and Jan Ulrichs T-Mobile wanting to get one back. We should be in for some great racing.
In last years race Quickstep dominated the race from the first stage and went on to win both the team and individual events. With the introduction of the leading World Pro Tour teams they will face much tougher competition in 2006.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators will line the 800 kilometre route which starts in Glasgow on Tuesday 29 August.
The 2006 Tour of Britain will consist of six stages starting on Tuesday 29 August in Glasgow. The Tour then takes in new routes in the Northwest, Yorkshire and The West Midlands, before a brand new fifth stage in the Southeast ending in Canterbury, the finish city of the first stage of the 2007 Tour De France.
