TWENTY cycle teams have signed up for a prestigious cycling competition that will be heading to Tendring.

The line-up for the this year’s Ovo Energy Tour of Britain will feature ten UCI WorldTour teams, plus a further three squads that have competed in one of the two Grand Tours so far in 2017.

All of the top five teams in the current UCI WorldTour rankings – Quick-Step Floors, Team Sky, BMC Racing, Movistar Team and Orica Scott – will be at the individual time trial stage in Clacton on September 7.

Returning to the OVO Energy Tour of Britain will be Team Katusha Alpecin, who have confirmed Alexander Kristoff, winner of the European Championship Road Race and Prudential RideLondon – Surrey Classic on consecutive weekends, and his teammate World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin, who won the Bristol stage last year, as part of their provisional line-up.

“The Tour of Britain is not only a perfect race in my build-up to the World Championships, I will also try to win some stages”, said Alexander Kristoff.

“For me it is a return to this race after eight-years. I still have good memories of my participation in 2009.

“Moreover, I always perform well on British soil. I took my Olympic medal in London as well as the victory in last week’s RideLondon-Surrey Classic WorldTour race. I really look forward participating in the OVO Energy Tour of Britain.”

The tour looks set to attract the world’s top sprinters, with Team Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish targeting the Tour to return from his Tour de France injury, and Sky’s Elia Viviani publically aiming to add to his four stage wins in the race.

Viviani’s Team Sky teammate Geraint Thomas has already vowed in interviews to race the Tour of Britain for the first time since 2011, with the overall finish of the tour in his home city of Cardiff on September 10.

Mick Skeels, Tendring Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said most of the very best in world cycling will be taking to the streets of Clacton.

“It is a truly amazing line-up which will provide a fantastic spectacle – the like of which has never been seen in Tendring before,” he said.

“It is a real coup for us to have landed the individual time trial stage which is one of the most exciting parts of the event. I am really looking forward to it and I am sure it will pull in the crowds on the day.”

A trio of teams will make their Tour of Britain debuts, including Sprandi Polkowice from Poland, America’s Cylance Pro Cycling and Bike Channel Canyon.

Live coverage of the tour will be shown on ITV4 and Eurosport in the UK, with both channels also screening daily highlights of the action.