British Road Race Champion and Olympic gold medallist, Geraint Thomas has said he is looking forward to competing in his home country in The Tour of Britain. It is the first time the event has visited Wales, since 2004.
The Welsh stage is 150km long and runs from Newtown to Swansea. Constitution Hill, Swansea, will be the steepest section of the entire tour.
A group of local schoolchildren will lead the peloton out to start the race at around 10.30 on Monday, 13 September.
Geraint Thomas said "It’s great to be able to compete in a top quality competition in my own country and I’m really looking forward to this challenging stage… Hosting this stage is great news for Welsh cycling fans to be able to see some top quality competitors, and for cycling fans in general to see this great country. Hopefully this event will also inspire more young people in Wales to take up cycling."
Geraint, who recently returned from a successful second Tour de France, will compete as part of strong Team Sky that also includes fellow Olympian, Bradley Wiggins.
Commenting on the Welsh stage, Tour of Britain technical director, Mick Bennett said "I’m delighted to bring The Tour back to Wales, particularly in a year which has seen a Welsh cyclist, Geraint Thomas, enjoy so much success. We’ve created a very tough stage, with the two hardest climbs of the entire Tour coming in the final 50 kilometres. Knowing the reputation of Constitution Hill in Swansea, I am sure cycling fans will flock from all over to see riders tackle the cobbled climb, which will prove decisive in who wins in Swansea."
The 2010 Tour of Britain will start in the north west of England on Saturday 11 September and finish in London the following weekend, on Saturday 18 September.
100 of the world’s top cyclists from 17 top professional international teams will take on the challenge of The Tour of Britain in 2010, with a route designed to deliver a worthy overall winner to join the ranks of previous yellow jerseys such as Edvald Boasson Hagen, Geoffroy Lequatre, Romain Feillu and Nick Nuyens.