Spectators gather as Tour of Britain visits county

Geraint Thomas said there was a "tough little loop" at the end of stage four

Some of the best riders in the world have been making their way around Warwickshire as the UK's biggest cycling race visits the county.

The Lloyd's Tour of Britain men's stage four set off from a packed Market Square in Atherstone at 10:30 BST.

Riders raced through locations including Ansley, Fillongley, Bedworth, Dunchurch, Cubbington, Wellesbourne, Kineton, Shipston-on-Stour and Edgehill – before a dramatic hilltop finish at Burton Dassett Country Park.

Rolling road closures were in place as the race passed through the county's towns and villages, and hundreds of spectators lined the streets to cheer on the peloton.

At Burton Dassett, riders faced three ascents of a 700m climb, with the last climb finishing the race.

Schoolchildren and the public lined the streets of Warwickshire

Cyclist Geraint Thomas OBE, who previously won the 2018 Tour de France, was taking part in what was his final professional race.

The Tour of Britain concludes in his home city of Cardiff on Sunday.

Speaking to the BBC before the race set off, Thomas said: "I just do my bit for the team and try and set the boys up for those circuits, because there's a tough little loop at the end, three times up that climb."

Describing the reaction of the public to seeing him in his final race, he said: "So lucky to finish here. Trying to soak it all in."

Brothers Steve and Paul Kelly were there from Coventry to see the race set off.

Steve said: "I love cycling. It's a great event to have locally, so really exciting to see quite a lot of top riders here today as well. We're both really into cycling.

"We've been over to watch the Tour de France as well in Paris a few weeks ago, so really exciting to see quite a few of the riders here in Atherstone."

His brother said: "I think it's a really nice event, I'm really impressed. It would also make me come back to Atherstone as well."

He said: "Cycling's a really big sport and you can see there's quite big crowds here today, so it just gives quite a bit of buzz around the region to have something like this."