SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS has been confirmed as the star attraction at the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire, which will take place at the start of next month.

Having left Team Sky after this month’s Paris-Roubaix classic, Wiggins will make his first appearance for his new Team Wiggins outfit, which has been established to help prepare members of Britain’s track team pursuit squad for next year’s Olympics in Rio.

The four-time Olympic champion, and former Tour de France winner, heads a stellar field for the Tour de Yorkshire, a three-day race that is a legacy of last year’s successful Grand Depart.

Wiggins will be joined on the start line at Bridlington on May 1 by team-mates Steven Burke, Mark Christian, Andy Tennant, Owain Doull and Jon Dibben, all of whom are in contention for next year’s Team GB Olympic squad.

Star sprinter Marcel Kittel, who won last year’s opening stage of the Tour de France between Leeds and Harrogate, is another confirmed starter for the Giant-Alpecin team. The German has not been at his best this season, but will still be strongly fancied for the opening stage, which finishes in Scarborough, and stage two, a loop from Selby to York that should also result in a bunched finish.

Yorkshire cycling fans will have plenty of home contenders to support during the Tour, with a host of the county’s racers due to compete.

Rotherham sprinter Ben Swift heads up a strong Team Sky squad that will hope to contest for the general classification honours, while Barnsley-born double Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy is the leading light in the JLT Condor squad.

Skipton’s Pete Williams, Doncaster’s Tom Stewart, Leeds’ Liam Holohan and Rotherham’s Russ Downing will also be in action, along with Holmfirth’s Gabriel Cullaigh and Wakefield’s Oliver Wood.

Cullaigh and Wood form part of a Great Britain select squad that also sees Pool-in-Wharfedale’s Josh Edmondson named as a reserve.

“We always wanted to get a mix of international and Yorkshire riders,” said Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity. “Some of the Yorkshire riders will already be known to many people, while there are others that they may not know but very soon will do.

“It’s been a gradual build up, but now you can see the bunting being put in place and the homes and businesses being decorated and so on. The county is planning where it is going to watch the Tour de Yorkshire, and that’s great to know.”

The opening stage on Friday, May 1 encompasses Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay before finishing in Scarborough, while Saturday’s second stage will culminate in a grandstand finish in York city centre.

The final stage, on Sunday, May 3, sees the field leave Wakefield and pass through Hebden Bridge, Haworth, Ikley and Otley before finishing in Leeds’ Roundhay Park.

Around a million spectators are expected to turn out to watch the event, which will be screened in more than 100 countries around the world.

 

Full list of riders (Y designates those from Yorkshire):

BMC Racing: Marcus Burghhardt, Klaas Lodewijck, Joseph Rosskopf, Samuel Sanchez, Manuel Senni, Dylan Teuns, Greg van Avermaet, Rick Zabel.

Cofidis Solutions Credit: Yoann Bagot, Loic Chetout, Nicolas Edet, Romain Hardy, Christophe Laporte, Rudy Molard, Stephane Rossetto, Julien Simon.

Cult Energy Pro Cycling: Russell Downing (Y), Linus Gerdeman, Karel Hnik, Gustav Larsson, Romain Lemarchand, Martin Mortensen, Rasmus Christian Quaade, Joel Zangerle.

Team GB: Germain Burton, Gabriel Cullaigh (Y), Scott Davies, Matthew Gibson, Jake Kelly, Christopher Latham, Mark Stewart, Oliver Wood (Y).

IAM Cycling: Thomas Degand, Stephan Danifl, Sondre Holst Enger, Simon Pellaud, Matteo Pelucchi, Vincente Reynes, Akeksejs Saramontins, Jonas van Genechten.

JLT Condor: Graham Briggs (Y), Ed Clancy (Y), Michael Cuming, Felix English, Luke Grivell-Mellor, Richard Handley, Kristian House, Thomas Moses (Y).

Madison Genesis: Matt Cronshaw, Liam Holohan (Y), James McLaughlin, Mark McNally, Mike Northey, Erick Rowsell,  Tom Scully, Tom Stewart (Y).

MTN Qhubeka: Matt Brammeier, Gerald Ciolek, Stephen Cummings, Nicolas Dougall, Merhawi Kudus Ghebremdhin, Daniel Teklehaimanot, Johann van Zyl, Jaco Venter.

NFTO: Tom Barras (Y), Ian Bibby, Eddie Dunbar, Samuel Harrison, James Lowsley-Williams, Jonathan McEvoy, Robert Partridge, Steele von Hoff.

One Pro Cycling: George Atkins, Yanto Barker, Marcin Bialoblocki, George Harper, Josh Hunt, Jonathan Mould, Chris Opie, Peter Williams.

Roompot Oranje Peleton: Berden de Vries, Huub Duijn, Dylan Groenwegen, Wesley Kreder, Andre Looij, Ivar Slik, Etienne van Empel, Sjoerd van Ginneken.

Team Europcar: Giovanni Bernaudeau, Thomas Boudat, Dan Craven, Cyril Gautier, Tony Hurel, Yannick Martinez, Bryan Nauleau, Thomas Voeckler.

Team Giant-Alpecin: Lawson Craddock, Bert de Backer, Caleb Fairly, Marcel Kittel, Fredrik Ludvigsson, Ramon Sinkeldam, Tom Stamsnijder, Lars van der Haar.

Team Lotto NL-Jumbo: Moreno Hofland, Steven Kruijswijk, Barry Markus, Mike Teunissen, Maarten Tjallingli, Nicky van der Linke, Robert Wagner, Maarten Wynants.

Team Raleigh GAC: Calvin Beneke, Karol Domagalski, Morgan Kneisky, Steven Lampier, Samuel Lowe, Bradley Morgan, Evan Oliphant, Ian Wilkinson.

Team Sky: Ben Swift (Y), Ian Boswell, Nathan Earle, Bernhard Eisel, Andrew Fenn, Sebastien Henao Gomez, Salvatore Puccio, Christopher Sutton.

Team Wiggins: Steven Burke, Mark Christian, Jonathan Dibben, Owain Doull, Christopher Lawless, Daniel Patten, Andrew Tennant, Bradley Wiggins.

Topsport Vlaanderen Balosie: Amaury Capiot, Moreno de Pauw, Tim Declercq, Jonas Rickaert, Thomas Sprengers, Stijn Steels, Gijs van Hoecke, Pieter van Speybrouck.