SOME of the biggest names in world cycling will be coming to East Lancashire later this year after the Tour of Britain confirmed a stage of the race will start and finish in the area.

The event, which last year saw 2012 Tour de France champion Sir Bradley Wiggins, British sprint star Mark Cavendish and current world road race champion Michal Kwiatkowski ride, visits the Ribble Valley and Pendle on stage two, set to take place on Monday, September 7.

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The East Lancashire route will see the stage start in Clitheroe as riders then take on a challenging course up the Nick O’Pendle, through Dunsop Bridge, Slaidburn and into the Forest of Bowland.

The route then travels through Gisburn and into Pendle via Barnoldswick and Earby before briefly returning to Clitheroe and then on to Whalley, Nelson and the finish in Colne.

Further details of the route, including Ordnance Survey stage maps, will be announced in the summer, along with details of the 20 teams.

Team Raleigh GAC rider Ian Wilkinson, who finished sixth on the final stage of last year’s event, admitted he was looking forward to riding on home soil - with the stage passing through his hometown of Barnoldswick - after the route was confirmed at a glitzy launch in London last night.

“Ribble Valley and Pendle are fantastic places to cycle,” he said.

“The landscape is challenging and very dramatic.

"I’m sure all of this year’s competitors will enjoy stage two.”

This year’s Tour of Britain will start in Anglesey on Sunday, September 6, before coming to East Lancashire.

Stage three sees the riders race from Cockermouth in Cumbria to Floors Castle in Kelso before the route heads north to Scotland for the start of stage four in Edinburgh.

The race then travels south before finishing in London on Saturday, September 13.

Race Director of Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot. Mick Bennett said he was delighted with the East Lancashire route.

He said: “We are pleased to be bringing the race to Ribble Valley and Pendle for the first time and look forward to showcasing the area via the race and associated live television coverage.

“We have a great, and testing route, which will be one popular with fans who should be able to catch the action in more than one location.”

The race, the largest free sporting event in the country, will be screened live on ITV.

East Lancashire has a fine cycling heritage with the current president of the sport’s governing body Brian Cookson hailing from the Ribble Valley while Olympic champion Steven Burke is from Colne which also hosts the popular Colne Grand Prix.