In January when pulling together the 2019 Push Bike! What’s On Guide to Cycling Events in Worcestershire I was advised that neither the Women’s Tour nor the Tour of Britain would be making a welcome return to Worcestershire.

A real pity as I was aware Wychavon was keen to have the Women’s Tour back again.

It was therefore a very pleasant surprise to hear that on Thursday, September 12, not only the sixth stage of this year’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain would be returning, but that it will be a time trial, held wholly within Wychavon and with a start and finish in Pershore.

This is only the third time in the Tour of Britain’s 16-year history that an individual time trial has been included.

On the day each rider will set off at one-minute intervals to compete against the clock on a 14.5km (nine-mile) circuit. The start will in Broad Street with the riders heading off down Bridge Street to cross the Avon before climbing up to skirt the lower slopes of Bredon Hill passing through The Combertons before heading north through Bricklempton and back along the B4048 to finish on the High Street outside the visitor information centre.

The first riders will start off at 1pm. At an average speed of 42km (26 miles) per hour they should complete the course in approximately 20 minutes.

Depending on how many riders have survived the first five gruelling stages the last starts and the best riders will be rolling down the starting ramp between 2.45pm and 3pm.

Twenty teams and 120 riders will take part. This includes 11 of the top teams from the Tour De France.

Riders in each team will only be confirmed closer to the Tour’s September 7 start date, but there’s likely to be many of the best UK and international cyclists competing.

The time trial will therefore provide one of the best opportunities ever to see world class stars at close quarters, both during, but also before and after the race. It has to be one of the best free to watch sporting events in the UK.

If you want to wave to your mum, or can’t make it to Pershore on the day, live coverage will be screened from 12.45 on ITV4 with the day’s highlights being shown at 8pm.

There will be a ‘Tour Village’ with a variety of stands on Church Green, next to Pershore Abbey. Wychavon District Council will be organising a range of associated activities with details being made available closer to the event on the Council’s website wychavon.gov.uk and in the press.

Full details and regular updates on the OVO Energy Tour of Britain can be found at tourofbritain.co.uk.

If you’d like to get more involved you can sign up to be a volunteer ‘race maker’ marshal on the Tour of Britain website.

If the event inspires you to get your bike out of the shed and explore Worcestershire’s wonderful, scenic and quite lanes, why not give one of these local events a try.

The previous Sunday, September 8, Evesham Cyclefest will be offering three sportive rides of between 38 and 100miles, an 18-mile leisure ride and a one-mile children’s ride; all starting from Crown Meadows, Evesham cycleeveshamvale.org.

The following Sunday (September 15) the ‘hardy annual’ Plum Bikeaway will be offering eight, 23 and 52-mile routes starting from Pershore College with entry fees being used to support St John’s Ambulance and Evesham Vale Community First Responders.

All three routes use part of the Tour of Britain time trial circuit – for details, go to bikeawayventures.co.uk