This year’s winners of the Cumbrian stages of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain will have a lasting memento from the area to take home with them thanks to luxury crystal ware producer Cumbria Crystal.
For the first time Britain’s national Tour will spend two days in Cumbria on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 September, and Cumbria Crystal, the last producer of completely hand-blown and hand-cut, full-lead English crystal in the United Kingdom will be gifting the winners of Stages Five and Six with bespoke, hand-crafted centre bowls from their Grasmere and Helvellyn collections.
“Cumbria Crystal is delighted to provide stage awards for the two 2018 stages of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain set in the stunning Cumbrian Lake District,” said Chris Blade, Chief Executive of Cumbria Crystal. “It is fitting that the Stage Awards will be crafted in Ulverston, one of the towns through which the race passes, by our artisans especially for the event.
“We wish all participants success and safety throughout this incredible sporting event.
“Our factory is open to the public & we are delighted to invite participants & spectators to visit & watch crystal being blown, or even arrange short glass blowing workshops.”
Based in the small Lake District town of Ulverston that Stage Six passes through on its way from Barrow in Furness to Whinlatter, you will find 22 highly skilled artisans who are committed to making superb crystal of the highest quality, using techniques and processes that have hardly changed since the Roman era.
Such is the quality of their work it’s hardly surprising that Cumbria Crystal is the crystal of choice for formal dining at British Embassies, many Royal Families and is only available in a few luxury stores. It has been featured extensively in almost every series of Downton Abbey, James Bond and numerous period dramas as it epitomizes luxury living. Cumbria Crystal produces bespoke collections for Bentley, David Linley and Glyndebourne to name a few.
Commenting on the announcement, Hugh Roberts, Chairman of SweetSpot Group, the organisers of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain said, “We are pleased to again be working with Cumbria Crystal and delighted that the winners of the two stages will receive such fine prizes, from a prestigious Cumbrian business.
“The fact that this year Stage Six passes through Ulverston makes the involvement of Cumbria Crystal even more fitting.”
You can find out more about Cumbria Crystal by visiting their website at cumbriacrystal.com
Already confirmed for the 2018 OVO Energy Tour of Britain are regining champions of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome, both of Team Sky, plus their teammate Wout Poels, who won at Hartside above Penrith during the 2015 Tour of Britain.
Other former stage winners confirmed to start in the race, which gets underway in South Wales on Sunday 2 September are Andre Greipel, Marcel Kittel and Alex Dowsett.
For the second year running, each stage of the race will be shown live and in full on ITV4. Presenter Matt Barbet will be joined former pro rider Yanto Barker and Rebecca Charlton, with Marty MacDonald and Rob Hayles providing the commentary. Eurosport will also air daily live coverage.
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep, taking place between Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 September 2018.