WELCOME Cottages has been unveiled as headline sponsor for Stage Two of the Tour of Britain which is to visit East Lancashire in autumn.

The Aviva Tour of Britain is a professional cycling road race. Ribble Valley Borough Council and Pendle Council are hosting the second stage of the race on September 7.

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Yesterday Welcome Cottages, a flagship brand of Earby company Wyndham Vacation Rentals (UK), was unveiled as the headline sponsor for the East Lancashire stage.

The company has a history of supporting cycling events in Pendle, in particular the Colne Grand Prix, which takes place every July.

Nick Rudge, managing director of Welcome Cottages said: “We have been the headline sponsor of the Colne Grand Prix for the last six years and are extremely proud to be headline sponsor of Stage Two of the Aviva Tour of Britain.

“We have lots of keen cyclists at our company and are really excited to be part of this historic race.

“We will be lining the roads to cheer on the top cyclists as they pass through Earby.”

Stage Two will leave Clitheroe powering through the Ribble Valley and into Pendle before finishing in the centre of Colne.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stuart Hirst said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Pendle Council on hosting Stage Two of this flagship event.

“The Tour of Britain attracts a huge following, as well as an international television audience, so is the ideal showcase for Ribble Valley and Pendle’s many attractions.

“We are delighted that Welcome Cottages is headline sponsor for Stage Two and are looking forward to giving the elite cyclists, their teams and tens of thousands of visitors a warm Ribble Valley and Pendle welcome.”

Leader of Pendle Council, Mohammed Iqbal, said: “We are really excited to be hosting a stage of this year’s Tour of Britain.

“Stage Two is the shortest but toughest of the stages, so it will be a great one to watch.

“The tour is the country’s largest free-to-watch sporting event, attracting thousands of spectators to each stage, and according to an independent report last year’s stage hosts saw an injection of at least £2m into their economy.

“Pendle is a hidden gem and the tour gives us an amazing opportunity to show the world what we have to offer.”