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I cannot tell you how proud I am that the Tour of Britain cycle race is to return to Nottinghamshire in September.

 The Tour’s return is truly fantastic news, and I cannot wait to welcome the teams as well as the spectators who will come to our towns and villages in their thousands to cheer on the riders on Wednesday 6 September.

It will be the fourth time in seven years that the internationally renowned event will be staged in our wonderful county, recognition that we have what it takes to successfully stage major sporting events.

The stage will once again provide us with a great opportunity to showcase Nottinghamshire to a global television audience of millions and help shine a light on why it is such a great place to live, work and visit.

I am also really pleased that this year’s stage will start a short distance away from the true home of Robin Hood – the Major Oak in the heart of Sherwood Forest – helping to provide a stunning backdrop to the race.

 I am sure the people of Newark are also hugely excited that their town will be hosting the stage finish and will be counting down the months, weeks, and days to the race’s return.

We enjoyed three incredible days when the race came to the county in 2017, 2018 and last year, with the 2022 stage boosting our local economy by more than £4 million and hailed for having the best crowds of the whole race by organisers – with 225,000 people lining the route from West Bridgford to Mansfield.

I can’t wait to see miles of bunting, flags, yellow bikes, and creative displays along the route – so don’t forget to look out for more details in the coming weeks about the route and how you can play your part in this year’s race.

Who knows, perhaps we’ll be able to replicate last year’s success when Keyworth won the race’s National Land Art Competition for its community-inspired Spike on a Bike hedgehog creation.

As a council, we are delighted the Tour will once again be coming back to Nottinghamshire and I’m looking forward to working with our partners to ensure it is yet another hugely successful event.

I’m sure we’ll once again be treated to a brilliant day of world class racing in our beautiful towns, villages, and spectacular countryside.

Councillor John Cottee, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities

Pictured, from left, are Cllr John Cottee, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Maid Marian (Katie Ward, of Notts Outdoors), Gemma Howarth, RSPB Area Manager for the East Midlands, and Cllr Scott Carlton, Nottinghamshire county councillor for the Sherwood Forest division.