THE Tour of Britain cycle race is returning to Teignbridge in September.

The world’s top cycling teams and riders will race from Sidmouth on the coast of east Devon to the summit of Haytor on September 9.

The riders will be cycling through Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary, Honiton, Willand, Tiverton, Crediton, Moretonhampstead, Haldon Forest and Chudleigh before climbing from Bovey Tracey to the only summit finish of the tour.

Stage six of the event will be 152.7km long and is almost an exact repeat of the 2013 stage, where nearly 250,000 spectators lined the county’s roads and boosted the economy by £5.9 million.

The leader of Teignbridge Council, Cllr Jeremy Christophers, said: ‘Teignbridge is a pro-cycling district. Welcoming the Tour of Britain back to the finish at the summit of Haytor Rocks will be a great moment to complete a fantastic summer of sport and cultural events in south Devon.

‘We already have the Radio 1 Big Weekend and Academies in early summer, followed by the Devon Games to inspire and culminated with the Tour of Britain – brilliant!’

In the past eight Devon stages around 1.25 million people have watched the race, bringing in around £33 million to the local economy.

The race director, Mick Bennett, said: ‘The climb will once again be a key moment in this year’s route, and coming again on a Friday afternoon, is going to see thousands of cycling fans descending upon Dartmoor to witness the drama first-hand.’

Devon County Council’s cabinet member for roads Cllr Stuart Hughes, who has a remit for cycling, said: ‘Organisers were so impressed with the atmosphere and organisation of the Sidmouth start in 2013 that they didn’t hesitate in wanting to return.’

The Tour of Britain will begin in Glasgow, Scotland, on September 4.

You will be able to keep up-to date on all eight of the stages as ITV4 will be covering it live.