Dan Grimmer Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Bradley Wiggins has been confirmed as one of the competitors who race across Norfolk when the Tour of Britain travels through the county.

Dan Grimmer

Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Bradley Wiggins has been confirmed as one of the competitors who race across Norfolk when the Tour of Britain travels through the county.

One hundred and seventeen miles of Norfolk's roads will be the route for the sporting spectacle when the Tour heads across Norfolk in September.

News that Olympic champion Wiggins will be among the cyclists fighting for the right to wear the yellow jersey, is likely to see even more spectators lining the route of an event which is a centrepiece of the British sporting calendar.

Wiggins, who won two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to add to the gold, silver and bronze he scooped at Athens in 2004 and the bronze from Sydney in 2000, will headline the Sky Professional Cycling Team's line-up for the Tour.

It will be one of the last events the Olympian takes part in this year.

After a disappointing 24th finish in the Tour de France after taking fourth place the previous year, the 30-year-old has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

Cycling fans in Norfolk will also be able to follow his fellow Olympian and National Circuit race champion Ed Clancy, who will lead the Motorpoint - Marshalls Pasta team.

Derrick Murphy, Norfolk County Council's cabinet member for cultural services, said: “To have a double gold winning Beijing Olympian leading the charge across Norfolk really is great news for our stage of the Tour of Britain.

“Bradley Wiggins is one of the biggest names in world cycling and whilst there will be many other popular cyclists on display in September, Wiggins has nearly 55,000 followers on Twitter alone - a sign of the scale of his popularity.

“The Tour's following continues to grow and we are hoping to showcase our county to a large number of visitors this September - giving a real boost to our local economy.”

Mr Murphy is currently cycling the route ahead of the Tour itself. He set off from King's Lynn yesterday and is due to arrive in Yarmouth later today.

The eight-day event will head through Norfolk at stage six - on Thursday, September 16, travelling from King's Lynn to Great Yarmouth, passing through places such as Norwich, Coltishall, Hunstanton, Holkham, Sheringham, West Runton, Holt, Aylsham, Salhouse, Wroxham, Potter Heigham and Caister.

It is anticipated that around �1.5m of additional revenue will be generated in the county off the back of the Tour, with tourism getting a boost.