THE Tour of Britain, which this year features a stage finish at the Royal Welsh Showground, is to be screened live on television.

Fans can watch live coverage of British Cycling’s premier road event on BIKE Channel UK this September on Sky, Virgin and Freesat.

Alongside the BIKE Channel, ITV4 will also screen live coverage and highlights daily from the Tour of Britain.

The 1,296.6km race starts in Glasgow on September 4 and stage four of the race on Wednesday, September 7 will start in Denbigh, North Wales and finish at the Royal Welsh Showground, near Builth Wells.

It enters north Powys at Llangynog, taking a challenging route through the Dyfi Valley, then over to Rhayader and down to Newbridge-on-Wye before finishing in Llanelwedd.

Ten World Tour teams start this year’s Tour of Britain for the first time, with the teams of British favourites Sir Bradley Wiggins, Team WIGGINS and Mark Cavendish’s Team Dimension Data competing in the UK’s largest free-to-watch sporting event.

Organisers say more than one million spectators will line the route over the course of the week.

Filippo Ubaldini, founder and CEO of BIKE Channel, said: "The Tour of Britain is one of the most important tours on the calendar and we are delighted to bring it to BIKE this summer.

"We are sure fans will love following our dedicated coverage of eight days of racing through stunning British countryside before what promises to be an exciting sprint finish in London."

Powys council has already announced competitions for individuals, community groups and businesses to create art works and window displays celebrating the Tour of Britain.

Council cabinet member and cycling fan, Councillor Avril York said: "We have seen that land art plays a huge role in the Tour de France and other cycling events with images of dramatic creations beamed to TV audiences around the world. This competition will help cement the county’s own cycling legacy.

"With coverage of Stage Four of the Tour of Britain race set to be broadcast to countries around the globe, this is a huge opportunity to celebrate your community and shout to the world what Powys has to offer."

Groups or individuals who create an artwork should email [email protected] before Friday August 12 so the council can inform the Tour of Britain organisers and try to secure a mention during the live coverage of the stage.