Ineos Grenadiers is committed to ensuring that the Tour of Britain returns to the professional calendar beyond 2024, said new CEO John Alert.

Sweet Spot, the former organizer of the Tour of Britain, went into "voluntary liquidation" earlier this month after facing legal claims of more than 1 million pounds. The British company ran the race from its revival in 2004 until 2023, but British Cycling withdrew its contract to have Sweet Spot organize the race this November after allegations surfaced that Sweet Spot owed the company about 750,000 pounds.

As the home race of British team Ineos Grenadiers, Allert said it was keen to work with the national governing body to salvage the race as it is an important event for the country, athletes and home fans.

"We are obviously very interested in the "home race" aspect. I think it's very sad. ...... This may support the need for potential change," Alert said in a video call with British and international media, including Cycling News.

"All I can say is that as a team with a British heritage, we will work with British Cycling and commercial interests to get the Tour of Britain back on the calendar as soon as possible.

"Not only for Britain, but some national races are a great opportunity for local riders, non-World Tour teams, and local fans, and such a gap in the calendar is not good for the sport.

Alert was promoted to CEO during a major reshuffling of Ineos Grenadier that took place in the last months of 2023. This included operations at Manchester United after Ineos invested £1 billion in the Premier League club.

Along with the Tour of Britain, Sweet Spot was also the race organizer for the Women's Tour.

In November, British Cycling issued a statement saying that it would remain committed to organizing men's races, without mentioning the women's Tour, but in its latest statement to Cycling Weekly, it said, "The Tour of Britain and UCI Women's World Tour We are doing everything possible to ensure that the Tour of Britain and the UCI Women's World Tour stage races will continue to be held after 2024," he added.

It is understood that British Cycling will speak in more detail next week about its possible plans for the future of both races.

The British cycling scene has taken a number of hits in recent years, and if British Cycling, with the support of Ineos Grenadiers and others, is unable to revive the race after its financial difficulties, there are likely to be only two UCI races left - the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic (1.2) and Ride London Classique (2.WWT).

A decade after British cycling reached its zenith with the 2014 Tour de France, with Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish, and Team Sky at the height of their powers, the scene has experienced a serious decline and the early 2010s legacy is about to disappear.

The 2023 Tour of Britain was won by Wout Van Aert (Vimaris-a-Bike), while the Ineos Grenadiers was won by Carlos Rodriguez on the final stage in Caerphilly. The race was heavily criticized for its repetition of flat finishes on six of the eight stages, with similar sprint finishes and little exciting racing.

The women's tour was held in 2022 and won by Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek).