King of the Mountains! Peebles cyclist makes home advantage count as Tour of Britain returns to the Scottish Borders
Last updated 3rd Sep 2024
Peebles cyclist Callum Thornley made home advantage count as the country's biggest professional cycling race returned to the Scottish Borders.
The 21-year-old was awarded the King of the Mountains shirt after beating some of the world's best riders on testing climbs over Scott's View, Dingleton and Dunion Hills on the opening stage of this year's Tour of Britain.
The race, which started and finished in Kelso, followed a 113-mile route round the region, passing Coldstream, Greenlaw, Melrose, Denholm and Jedburgh along the way.
And crowds of well-wishers lined the streets to show their support.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio after the podium presentation, Thornley, who represents Trinity Racing, said: "I'm really buzzing.
"It's so nice to come back and see my family, then to be racing on home roads makes it even more special. And the support out there was pretty incredible.
"The moment that sticks with me is going through Kelso for the first - it's the first time I've ever had goosebumps on the bike. It was pretty surreal hearing my name (over the PA system) and seeing all the Scottish flags; it was brilliant.
"I grew up riding Glentress and the roads around Peebles. But I've done all these climbs - Dingleton, Dunion etc; Scott's View quite a lot; so I'm happy to pull it off. My goal the rest of the Tour now will be try to defend the jersey."
One of the biggest cheers of the day was for another Borderer - Oscar Onley, racing in front of his home crowd in Kelso.
And Callum revealed he hopes the local interest in the nationwide event - which is being shown on TV screens around the world - will encourage more people to jump on a bike.
He added: "If you keep believing... no dream's too big. It starts with something like going for a ride and next thing you know you're here, or the Tour de France like Oscar has done.
"I started mountain biking when I was aged five or six and road cycling when I was maybe 15, so there's plenty of time for everybody."
French man Paul Magnier was first over the finish line, with a scintillating sprint finish for the 20-year-old Soudal Quick-Step rider.
Speaking after the stage, he said: “I’m really happy to take the victory for the team today. Incredible - we did an amazing team performance today. We tried Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe on the climb but it was really hard so in the end, they tried for me in the bunch race. They give you wings when such big riders are working for you.”
The Tour moves on to Tees Valley and North Yorkshire tomorrow (Wednesday) with a 152.1-kilometre leg from Darlington to Redcar, crossing the climbs of the North York Moors National Park. The stage begins at 11am, with live coverage on ITV4 from 10.45am.
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