THE Spectacular Tour of Britain blue riband cycling event returns to Wharfedale next Thursday when the third stage of this prestigious event takes in Otley and Ilkley.

The Tour of Britain is now part of the elite professional cycling calendar, and sits alongside one of the world's most famous sporting events, the Tour de France.

Sixteen teams will battle it out over six days of intense competition to achieve overall pole position on the podium in London on Sunday, September 4. They start out in Glasgow on August 30.

Locals will have the chance to see some of the world's elite teams and riders as they race through Wharfedale on Thursday, September 1.

The challenging route in Yorkshire covers over 110 miles of picturesque countryside as it travels from Millennium Square, Leeds, to Sheffield.

'Category 1' climbs and three sprints are built into the stage. The winners of the 'races within the race' gain points for the T-Mobile Sprinter's Jersey or Polka Dot Climber's Jersey and can pick up all important time bonuses in doing so. King of the Mountains events take place at the Cow and Calf, Oxenhope, Holme Moss and Snake Pass.

The winner will be the rider who has completed all six stages in the least amount of time but the riders will also be competing to win the individual stages, the overall points competition, and the titles of the 'best climber' and the 'best sprinter'.

British cyclists are among the best in the world, winning five gold medals on the track in the 2004 Olympics and Paralympics as well as four World Champion titles at the recent World Championship titles at the recent World Championships in Los Angeles.

Hundreds of thousands lined the route of the 2004 Tour of Britain, and over a million tuned into the BBC's Grandstand television coverage. Such support promises to continue and the BBC has increased its coverage for 2005 and 2006.

All these riders will be competing for the chance to wear the coveted Leader's Yellow Jersey not only at some time during the race but, more importantly, when the entire Tour of Britain has reached its conclusion. The winner of The Tour of Britain will be the rider who completes the six stages in the least amount of time.

However, there are other prizes at stake on every day of the race and the current leader in these other categories also gets the chance to wear a special jersey to symbolise his achievements. The Green Points Jersey is awarded to the rider who has accumulated points for being the most consistent finisher each day over the course of the entire race. The Polka Dot Jersey is awarded to the best climber in the race.

The T-Mobile Sprints Jersey is awarded to the rider acquiring points at designated locations.

LOCAL TIMINGS

10.48 Harewood House

10.59 Pool-in-Wharfedale

11.05 Boroughgate,

Otley (sprint)

11.21 Ilkley town centre

11.25 Cow and Calf (climb)