The Tour of Britain is the UK's biggest professional bicycle race and a centrepiece of the British sporting calendar as the country’s largest free-to-watch live sporting event, with many hundreds of thousands more following via television and online.
Each year some of the world's top cyclists compete on British roads, vying to win The Tour of Britain. In recent years home favourites like Tour de France Green Jersey Mark Cavendish and Olympic Gold medallists Geraint Thomas, Ed Clancy and Bradley Wiggins have been regular fixtures, while the likes of Thor Hushovd, Tom Boonen, Andre Greipel, Nick Nuyens and Edvald Boasson Hagen have all been stage winners in The Tour.
The Tour of Britain has also seen the development of many household British names, with the likes of Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift all riding early editions of The Tour, exposing them to high quality professional cycling on home roads.
The ninth edition of The Tour of Britain, since the race was revived by SweetSpot Group in 2004, will take place between Sunday 9 and Sunday 16 September 2012, over eight days.
