Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins to ride through North Devon

BRITAIN S triple Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins will be competing in next month s Tour of Britain, which races through Devon and Somerset on 17 and 18 September. Wiggins, who finished fourth in this year s Tour de France to equal the best ever result by

BRITAIN'S triple Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins will be competing in next month's Tour of Britain, which races through Devon and Somerset on 17 and 18 September.

Wiggins, who finished fourth in this year's Tour de France to equal the best ever result by a Briton, will lead the Garmin Slipstream team.

The eight-stage race begins in Scunthorpe on Saturday, September 12, and finishes eight days later in the centre of London.

The South West stages of The Tour, hosted by Devon County Council and Somerset County Council, will take in 346km of the two counties.

Stage 6 starts in Frome at 10.15am on September 17 and is estimated to reach Barnstaple for a sprint at around 2.17pm and finish in Bideford around 2.37pm. The following day is the penultimate day of the race, with Stage 7 setting out from Hatherleigh at 10.15am and finish in Yeovil at around 2.05pm.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: "This is a great opportunity for people in Devon and Somerset to see star riders like Bradley Wiggins racing on home soil. We can certainly give Bradley a really good homecoming welcome in Devon and Somerset for his achievements in the Tour de France. Spectators are going to be treated to seeing some of the world's best cyclists up close on The Tour."

For more information about the South West stages of the Tour of Britain visit: www.southwesttourofbritain.co.uk.