Excitement is building ahead of the Tour of Britain cycling race, which visits Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire next month.
Stage six of the event is taking place from on Friday, September 9 from Tewkesbury and Gloucester, with riders set to pass through Yate, Wotton and Dursley along the 170.9km route.
The race will begin in front of St Mary’s Abbey Church on Church Street, in Tewkesbury at 11am, and head east into the Cotswolds before heading south.
The route enters South Gloucestershire via Dunkirk and Petty France, passing through Horton and onto Chipping Sodbury High Street.
From there riders will take Station Road and the A432 through Yate, heading up past Iron Acton and into a sprint section near Rangeworthy.
Continuing along the B4058 the race will go past Cromhall and Charfield. The race will enter the Stroud district in Wotton, heading up through North Nibley, Stinchcombe, Dursley and Uley where riders will tackle Crawley Hill. The route will take riders over Selsley Common via the B4066 and eventually into Stroud and north towards the finish line in Gloucester.
Residents are encouraged to cheer the riders on at the roadside as it passes by their doorstep.
Riders are expected to pass through Yate at 1.54pm, Wotton at 2.20pm and Dursley at 2.34pm. Depending on conditions and the speed of the race, the actual times could be up to 20 minutes earlier or later.
Most of the race will operate a rolling road closure, meaning roads will only be closed for around 30 minutes while the race passes through.
Full road closures will be in operation at the start in Tewkesbury and the finish in Gloucester.
'Tour puts spotlight on Gloucestershire'
Cllr David Gray, cabinet member responsible for the environment at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “The Tour of Britain will put the spotlight on Gloucestershire and showcase our fantastic county on the national and global stage.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the related road closures, but would encourage residents across the county to take the opportunity to watch as some of the world’s best cyclists race through our county.”
The Tour of Britain comes to the county just months after the Women’s Tour raced from Tewkesbury to Gloucester, this time via the Forest of Dean.
It is the first time either race has held both a stage start and finish in Gloucestershire.
More information is available at tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/stage-six
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here