Yorkshire cyclist Ben Swift to take part in OVO Energy Tour of Britain

Coming weeks after he won the HSBC UK National Road Championships in Norwich, Ben will join Team INEOS (formerly Team Sky) for the huge road race which will head to Wirral for stage five of the tour on 11 September.

The full roster for Team INEOS at this years OVO Energy Tour of Britain will be revealed next week.

Ben told the Globe: "I love the Tour of Britain and can’t wait to race on home roads in the national bands.

"That’s something I’ve dreamt of doing since I started my career.

“It’s going to be a special week and we’ll hope to do something special on the road too.

"I know we’re taking a strong team to the start in Glasgow and we look forward to seeing great support out on the roads.”

In his first season as a professional, Ben memorably won the penultimate stage of the 2009 Tour in Yeovil a decade ago aged just 21.

OVO Energy Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett said: “We’re honoured that the reigning British road race champion will be competing in this year’s race.

"I’ve enjoyed watching Ben’s career since he made his Tour of Britain debut in 2006 and have a feeling he’ll be in the mix for success this September.”

The national road race will begin in Glasgow on Saturday, September 7 and conclude in Manchester on Saturday, September 14.

Landing in Wirral on Wednesday, September 11, stage five will start and finish at Birkenhead Park with the route passing through the finish line within the park before competing a lap of Birkenhead and Wallasey.

The 108 mile stage will leave Wirral passing through Port Sunlight before racing through Cheshire West and Chester - including passing the Airbus UK manufacturing facility at Broughton.

Then, the route will return, racing through Heswall, Caldy and Hoylake before passing through the Birkenhead Park finish line and taking in a loop through Seacombe, Wallasey and New Brighton.

ITV4 will screen the live free-to-air coverage flag-to-flag of each stage in the UK.