Stage 5 of the Tour of Britain, the leading road cycling event in the country, is set to pass through the Forest of Dean on Thursday, September 8th.

The District Council and the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association are looking forward to elcoming the hundreds of cyclists to the area.

The Tour of Britain will run from September 4th to 14th, providing eight exciting days of racing across the country.

The Tour is the largest free to attend sporting event in the UK, attracting the best riders and cycling teams in the world.

Top cycling stars including Sir Bradley Wiggins and Owain Doull have provisionally confirmed that they will be taking part in this year’s event.

Stage Five will begin in Wales in Rhondda Cynon Taf at Aberdare, heading across South Wales and through the Forest of Dean into Gloucestershire before finishing in the city of Bath. The stage will cover a distance of 194.5 kilometers and include 3,292m of climbing.

It will enter Gloucestershire over Bigsweir Bridge passing through Clearwell and into Coleford via Perrygrove Road and Old Station Way. The peloton will then proceed up Gloucester Road and Poolway Road to Broadwell, descending to Cannop Crossroads before a ‘King of the Mountain’ climb to Speech House.

The cyclists will ride past the Dilke Hospital before the climb up St Whites road, followed by a steep descent into Littledean. Turning left at the Littledean mini roundabout the riders will join the A48 at Elton before passing through Westbury-on-Severn en route to Gloucester.

Rolling road closures will be put in place by Gloucestershire County Council to allow the cyclists to pass through the district safely.

Patrick Molyneux, Leader of the Forest of Dean District Council added: “The Tour promises to be a hugely popular event and whether you’re a resident or visitor, we encourage people to get involved, soak up the atmosphere and watch the event as it passes through the district.”

Ian Officer, Chair of Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association said: “We welcome all sorts of cyclists to the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. From stabilisers to top-of-the-range mountain bikes, the roads and trails offer everyone a fantastic cycling experience in unique surroundings.”

"The Tour is a great opportunity to show what we have to offer to visitors across Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire as we have some of the best cycling you can find in the UK."

In celebration of the Tour passing through the district the Wye Valley & Forest of Dean Tourism Association has arranged a number of initiatives to promote the race including:

· Features on cycling in the Tourist Information Centre

· Members of Coleford Town Council and volunteers cycling 675 miles (the distance from Coleford to its twin town St Hilaire de Riez in France) on an exercise bike

· A ‘Wye Dean Cycle Art Trail’ from now until September 11th. For more information visit wyedeantourism.co.uk/cyclingfest