Edinburgh dropped from Tour

Edinburgh has been dropped from the route of this year's Tour of Britain.

Mark Cavendish leads the front of the procession on Stage 4 of The Tour of Britain last year. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The Capital hosted the start of stage four in the eight day event last September, with the route incorporating the Royal Mile before heading through East Lothian and finishing in Northumberland.

This year’s race will start in Glasgow on September 4, with the opening day finishing in Castle Douglas. The race then travels south and finishes in central London on September 11.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh rider Mathias Barnet will have a taste of international racing on Sunday when he lines up for the spokes Racing Team in a field of 165 at the 120 kilometre junior event at the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Classic.

The race precedes the elite event, which is an established part of the opening weekend of the professional season.