The full route of this year’s Tour of Britain will be revealed by the end of the month.
Britain’s only UCI stage race, the nation’s biggest free-to-watch sporting event, will take place from Sunday September 9 to Sunday September 16.
Last year’s race was won by the Dutchman, Lars Boom (Rabobank), with Mark Cavendish winning the final stage on the Mall in a repeat of his victory in the Olympic test event some four weeks earlier.
Overall victory in last year’s King of the Mountains competition went to Jon Tiernan-Locke, current leader of the UCI EuropeTour.
This year’s Tour of Britain will feature King of the Mountains points on every stage. The competition will again be sponsored by car manufacturer, Skoda.
Skoda’s Jonathan Durling said: “Many congratulations to Jonathan Tiernan-Locke who scooped last year’s Skoda King of the Mountains jersey.
“I hope that cycling fans across the UK will once again be drawn to each of the Skoda King of the Mountains climbs to witness the action first hand.”
Skoda will also provide a 50-strong fleet of support vehicles for the race, guiding the riders along the 850-mile race distance.
Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive for SweetSpot Group, organisers of The Tour of Britain, said the car company, which also provides neutral service support vehicles to the Tour de France, had earned a good reputation among the cycling community.
“In this most important of years for British sport, we are looking forward to giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the best professional riders in the world competing on UK roads. We’re delighted to have Skoda UK on board for what promises to be another fantastic event,” he said.
Two of Britain’s UCI Continental squads, Rapha Condor Sharp and Team Raleigh, will use Skoda support cars for the Tour of Britain, as well as for the Halfords Tour Series, another event for which the manufacturer will provide neutral service support vehicles.
The 10-round series of hour-long city centre criterium races will be televised on ITV4 and begins in Kirkaldy on Tuesday May 15.
