CYCLING’S Tour of Britain has a new sponsor in OVO Energy, a new extended television deal with ITV4 and a new nickname too. “This is going to be the Rehab Race,” joked Quick-Step Floors rider Dan Martin at last night’s pre-race media conference in Glasgow ahead of stage one that begins in Edinburgh and finishes some 190km later in Kelso.

It is the only Scottish leg of the eight-day event that eventually concludes on the streets of Geraint Thomas’ native Cardiff one week from today.

For some of those involved - like the afore-mentioned Martin and Thomas, as well as the sprinter Mark Cavendish - the Tour offers a chance to get back on the bike in front of enthusiastic British crowds and demonstrate that they have fully recovered from a raft of serious injuries.

Cavendish, the Team Dimension Data rider, is back for his first race since crashing on the fourth stage of the Tour de France, a tumble that saw the Manxman suffer a fractured shoulder and led to Peter Sagan being disqualified for instigating the fall.

Given Cavendish was also laid low with glandular fever earlier in the year, he may feel he is due some good fortune in the week ahead.

“I obviously can’t do any more damage to my shoulder or I wouldn’t be racing,” he said. “I had to do nothing for six weeks so I then just had three weeks to get fit enough so I’m not first dropped here really.

“So I have to be realistic. I’m not a machine. I’m not looking for results here. But I’m a long-time supporter of the Tour of Britain and I’m a massive fan of the British fans.

“To see the support grow over the decade or so that I’ve been doing this is phenomenal. It’s not often you get the chance to ride at home and it’s always something special. So I really wanted to strive so I was ready to compete here and to absorb the atmosphere that surrounds the Tour of Britain nowadays.”

Sustaining aches and breaks is an occupational hazard for any sprinter. Thomas, of Team Sky, was another to depart this year’s Tour de France prematurely after a collision on the ninth stage left him with a broken collarbone. The casualty list from that crash read like a script from M*A*S*H, with a number of cyclists needing treatment for injuries as diverse as a punctured lung, a dislocated kneecap, and a fractured vertebra.

It would only be natural if memories of the pain and discomfort accompanied a rider’s eventual return to the bike but Cavendish dismissed the idea it is in the back of their minds.

“We’re paid to race so that’s what we do,” he added. “If [a crash] affects you like that then you’re in the wrong sport. Just trying to get fit is the hardest thing mentally.

“But I’ve always been fortunate that I’ve been able to bounce back.”

The injury has derailed Cavendish’s season to the point where he now considers it unlikely that he will compete in the world championships in Norway later this month. A strong Tour, however, could see that decision reversed.

“Bergen is three weeks away and there have been times in my career when I have surprised myself,” he added. “I’m not a bad bike rider and sometimes I can do some pretty decent things. So if I have a couple of good days here then I might actually think, ‘well, actually…’ Maybe the freshness after having most of the year off might be something [in his favour]. I’ll just need to wait and see.

“But realistically I don’t think I’ll be ready to compete in the world championships which is upsetting as it was a big target for me.”

Thomas is another who has endured a difficult year, his crash in France precluded by an unfortunate fall in the Giro d’Italia due to a police motorbike being left unattended. He is happy simply to be back racing again and will enjoy the sights and sounds of the Welsh capital in particular.

“I’ve been back on the bike for a few weeks now so I’m just looking forward to the race,” said the man who led the Tour de France after winning the first stage this year. “The crowds here are just incredible, to see how far cycling in this country has come.

“The first one I did was with Cav back in 2005 and it’s a bit different from then. I’m looking forward to it and it should be exciting.

“I can’t remember the last time I raced in Cardiff so it will be good to go past the castle and my gold postbox [from winning Olympics team pursuit gold in 2012.”

Race Director Mick Bennett was relishing a strong week’s racing from a competitive field. “It’s a really stellar line-up.

“We have three former world road race champions in the field, six Olympics medalists, 24 stage winners of Grand Tours and countless world, European and national champions. I wish the riders a safe race and an enjoyable time here in the UK”.

Of course, in any British race there is one thing that can’t be controlled. “The weather forecast is apparently going to be ‘reasonable’,” added Bennett. “Read into that what you like. It won’t pour with rain every day but it is Britain after all.”

The Rehab Race riders have been through worse.