SOME of the world’s top cyclists will sample the beauty of the Upper North Tyne and Redesdale, it has been confirmed.

As expected, the prestigious Tour of Britain, the country’s biggest road racing event, will return to the roads of Tynedale after the routes for all eight stages were confirmed this week by organisers SweetSpot.

On Monday, September 4, the second leg of the series will start at Kielder Water and Forest Park and head into Bellingham, before moving on to Otterburn and Elsdon on the way to the finishing line at Blyth, via Rothbury.

The Tour of Britain held two stages in Northumberland in 2015. The stretch from Prudhoe to Cumbria, which included top riders such as Sir Bradley Wiggins, was hailed a huge success as it passed through the communities of Stocksfield, Riding Mill, Hexham and Haydon Bridge.

Northumberland County Council has worked with stage sponsors Northumbrian Water and SweetSpot to return the race to the county.

Steven Mason, chief executive of the council, said: “This is fantastic news for the county. The race will showcase our county, heritage and iconic landmarks to an international audience and bring major investment into Northumberland, while providing a fantastic opportunity for us all to enjoy a wonderful sporting spectacle.”

Heidi Mottram, chief executive of Northumbrian Water Group, said: “The Tour of Britian coming to Northumberland is a fantastic coup for the region, and what better location to start off the first English stretch of this prestigious event than at the beautiful site of Kielder? We have some amazing sporting occasions that are native to Northumberland, such as the Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon, but having a major national event placing such a focus upon the North-East will help to showcase some of the most beautiful parts of Britain to a huge audience.”