Best ever Tour of Britain line-up

The Tour of Britain Stage Two in 2014 between Liverpool and Llandudno. (S)

Nine of the world’s leading cycling teams will be present when the Tour comes to the Ribble Valley and Pendle on Monday, September 7th as Clitheroe hosts the start of Stage Two and Colne the finish with 99 gruelling miles and more than 9,000ft. of ascent between the two.

A total of 20 teams and 120 riders will start the race and the World Tour teams are headlined by Team Cannondale - Garmin (USA), whose roster could include 2014 Tour champion Dylan van Baarle, and Etixx Quick-Step (Belgium) with World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski, who was second in 2014, and Mark Cavendish both in their ranks.

BMC Racing (USA), IAM Cycling (Switzerland), Lotto Soudal (Belgium), Movistar Team (Spain), Team Lotto NL Jumbo (Netherlands), Team Sky (Great Britain) and Tinkoff - Saxo (Russia) complete the World Tour teams entering.

The crowds offer up support to riders in the 2014 Tour of Britain. (S)

Those nine, plus Pro Continental team MTN Qhubeka (South Africa), won 13 of the 21 stages in the Tour de France.

Two other Pro Contintental teams in Cult Energy Pro Cycling (Denmark) and Team Novo Nordisk (USA) will have teams while fans of the domestic racing scene will also be able to get behind all six of the country’s Continental teams.

The Great Britain National Team will be in the mix alongside Continental outfits An Post Chain Reaction (Ireland), JLT Condor presented by Mavic (Great Britain), Madison Genesis (Great Britain), NFTO (Great Britain), ONE Pro Cycling (Great Britain), co-owned by former England cricket wicketkeeper Matt Prior, and Team Raleigh GAC (Great Britain), whose Barnoldswick based rider Ian Wilkinson will be hoping to be picked.

Last but not least is Team WIGGINS, the personal team of World Hour Record holder, World Time Trial Champion and bearded knight Sir Bradley Wiggins, who was third in the race in 2014.

Race Director Mick Bennett said: “This is undoubtedly the strongest line-up of teams to have appeared in the Aviva Tour of Britain.

“The Aviva Tour of Britain presents a fantastic opportunity for British fans to see what will be the best line-up of teams and riders to race in this country this year.

“In 2014 we saw Michal Kwiatkowski, Sir Bradley Wiggins and the BMC Racing Team all go on to win world titles immediately after the race and are sure that this year’s Tour will provide an equal platform for riders going on to target the World Championships.”