BIKE UK to screen live coverage of the Tour of Britain

Fans of the UK's largest professional cycle race, the Tour of Britain, will be able to watch the action live on television on BIKE Channel UK in September on Sky, Virgin and Freesat.

Ten World Tour teams start this year's Tour of Britain for the first time, with the teams of British favourites Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish's (Team WIGGINS and Team Dimension Data respectively) racing on home roads.

Alongside the BIKE Channel, ITV4 will also screen live coverage and highlights daily from the Tour of Britain.

After starting in Glasgow on September 4, the 1,296.6km route passes through the Lake District, Wales and Dartmoor, before finishing on Regent Street in central London on Sunday, September 11.

The riders arrive in Wales for stage four on Wednesday, September 7, when they travel from Denbigh to Builth Wells followed by stage five next day from Aberdare to Bath.

The route promises to test riders' limits and BIKE, the UK's only 24-hour cycling channel, will be there for every pedal stroke as this iconic event unfolds, with three hours of live coverage from every stage.

The Tour of Britain is the cornerstone of the British cycling calendar and the UK's largest free-to-watch sporting event, attracting more than one million spectators. This year's tour is the biggest in its history and the event continues to grow with cycling popularity nationwide.

Filippo Ubaldini, founder and chief executive of BIKE Channel, said: "The Tour of Britain is one of the most important tours on the calendar and we are delighted to bring it to BIKE this summer. We are sure fans will love following our dedicated coverage of eight days of racing through stunning British countryside before what promises to be an exciting sprint finish in London.”

Mick Bennett, race director of the Tour of Britain, said: "With 10 WorldTour teams riding in this year's Tour of Britain, the race is now the biggest it's ever been. BIKE's coverage – available in over 17 million households in the UK – will bring the Tour of Britain to new audiences and is key to the continued growth of the country's national Tour.”

Fans can follow all the live action from this summer's Tour of Britain from the comfort of their own home with BIKE, available on Sky channel 464, Virgin Media channel 552 and Freesat channel 251.

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Press contact: Peter Hodges  peterh@thetour.co.uk 01932 831 485