Olympic Champion Tom Pidcock to lead INEOS Grenadiers at the AJ Bell TOUR OF BRITAIN

Tour de France stage winner Tom Pidcock will make his eagerly-anticipated return to the AJ Bell Tour of Britain.

Pidcock will be part of home fan favourites INEOS Grenadiers' line-up at the race, which gets underway in Aberdeen on Sunday (4 September).

The 23-year-old sealed his reputation as one of the world's most exciting riders in the sport when he soloed to win atop the famed climb of Alpe d'Huez during last month's Tour de France. That victory added to his triumphs in the Olympic Games cross country mountain bike race at Tokyo 2020 and UCI World Cyclo-Cross Championships in February.

Pidcock previously competed in his national tour in 2018, when he finished sixth atop Whinlatter Pass in Cumbria en route to placing 17^th overall aged just 20. This year's race notably returns to his home county of Yorkshire for the first time since 2009 on stage four, while the stage three start will come in Durham, the city where he won a round of the Tour Series in 2017.

He will line-up alongside his INEOS Grenadiers team-mate Richie Porte at the race. Porte, whose participation was confirmed on Friday, will end his 13-year professional career at the UK's leading cycling event.

Former world champion Michael Kwiatkowsi, who finished second overall in 2014, and Andrey Amador, a top-10 finisher three years ago, will both return to the race to play a supporting role for Pidcock. The team's line-up is completed by debutants Omar Fraile, a two-time King of the Mountains winner at the Vuelta a Espana, and Magnus Sheffield.

The 2022 race starts in Aberdeen on Sunday 4 September and culminates with what promises to be a spectacular finale on the Isle of Wight eight stages later on Sunday 11 September. Along the way riders will tackle stages in the Scottish Borders, North East England, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset.

ITV4 will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage and nightly highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch wherever they are. The race will also be shown in over 150 countries worldwide, thanks to the event's partnerships with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network.

While spectators can watch all the action by the roadside for free, race day hospitality packages offering guaranteed prime views of stage starts and finishes, as well as unforgettable experiences featuring Tour de France stage winner Dan Martin are now available. Visit sportsbreaks.com/Cyclingand destinationsportexperiences.com/Cycling/Hospitality for more information.

According to research by Frontline, last year's race drew a roadside crowd of over one million spectators resulted in the Tour of Britain generating £29.96m of net economic benefit for the UK economy.