ELITE cyclists from all over the world - fresh from the Athens Olympics - are coming to town on September 2.

Many of them will be competing in the Yorkshire leg of the Tour of Britain cycle race - expected to attract more than four million spectators over the five days the race is staged across Britain.

And the stars on show include Bradley Wiggins, who captured gold for Britain in Athens.

Wiggins, star of the 4,000 metres pursuit final, races for French team Credit Agricole.

It will be the first time the race has been held for five years and will feature the finest quality field of professional cyclists ever assembled in its long history.

Teams from Belgium, France, Denmark, USA, Italy, Spain and Germany plus the host national teams of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the team of Great Britain will compete.

Clr John Smithson, deputy leader of Kirklees Council, welcomed the event back to the area.

"This is a major event and we are very very pleased that it is coming through Kirklees.

"We hope it won't be too long before it comes through again.

"It is a very exciting race and I would urge everyone to try and see at least one of the local stages of it."

Helen Rowe, senior tourism officer for Kirklees added: "The stunning Yorkshire scenery is a great stage for the speed sprint through Huddersfield and long climb into the dramatic Kirklees countryside.

"Spectators who want to extend their stay in the area will discover a wealth of things to see and do."

She advised visitors to call in to the Huddersfield or Holmfirth tourist information centres for details.

The `Huddersfield Sprint' will start on Lockwood Road, Huddersfield, from the Yorkshire Victoria pub

The spectacular `King of the Mountain' climb starts from the garage in Holme village and climbs to the summit of 524-metre (1720ft) Holme Moss.

Sixteen teams will battle it out over five days of rugged riding to achieve overall pole position on the podium in London on Sunday September 5.

The winner will be the rider who has ridden all five stages in the least amount of time, but the riders will also be competing to win the individual stages, the overall points competition, and the titles of the best climber and the best sprinter.

Event Director of the Tour of Britain, Tony Doyle, is delighted with the quality of the field that will be on the starting line-up in Manchester on September 1.

"Without a shadow of a doubt, this year's Tour of Britain will deliver the best quality field of elite riders ever to compete in this country.

"Teams like US Postal-Berry Floor, T-Mobile, CSC, QuickStep-Davitamon and Credit Agricole are the teams to beat.

"Their presence in the race will act as a spur to get the best out of all the riders – particularly those representing the national squads of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Great Britain."

The riders are expected in Huddersfield about 12.55pm, with the sprint stage scheduled for 1.18pm and the Holme Moss climb at 1.44pm.

More information on the race participants can be found on www.tourofbritain.co.uk