TOUR of Britain organisers have unveiled the first five teams set to compete in the nation’s biggest cycling race.

All four of Britain’s male UCI Continental Teams and a Great Britain national squad are confirmed for the Tour, which travels solely through Dorset on the penultimate seventh stage.

Wiv SunGod will compete in their national tour for the fifth edition running, while Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, Saint Piran and TRINITY Racing return having all made their race debuts in 2021.

Great Britain Cycling Team have ridden 14 of the 17 modern Tours to date, including every edition since 2012.

READ MORE: Dorset to play starring role in Tour of Britain

The race, won last year by Belgian star Wout van Aert, begins in Aberdeen on Sunday, September 4 and finishes on the Isle of Wight on Sunday, September 11, rolling through Dorset from West Bay to Ferndown on Saturday, September 10.

Hampshire-based Wiv SunGod have enjoyed significant success at the Tour since their first participation in 2017, most notably winning both the ŠKODA King of the Mountains and sprints jerseys last year with Jake Scott.

Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling impressed on their Tour of Britain debut in 2021, recording four top-10 stage finishes and having the highest overall finisher – James Shaw – of the domestic teams.

Six of their 16-rider squad could potentially get to race on home roads in this year’s race. Most notably, siblings and Commonwealth Games 2018 medallists Charlie and Harry Tanfield, are from the North Yorkshire village of Great Ayton, which is raced through on stage four.

Also returning for a second-year running are Saint Piran, Cornwall’s first elite cycling team. Their roster was bolstered for 2022 by the arrival of sprinter Gabz Cullaigh, who has recorded three top-10 stage finishes in the Tour, most recently on the final day of last year’s race in Aberdeen.

TRINITY Racing have quickly become one of the most-respected development teams in world cycling, with the performances of then-Irish road race champion Ben Healy in last year’s race helping him move up to UCI WorldTeam level with EF Education – EasyPost for 2022.

The team’s roster includes Californian rider Luke Lamperti, who successfully defended his American circuit race title in Tennessee last week and finished fourth in Warrington on stage five in 2021.

The involvement of a Great Britain national team allows future stars to gain invaluable experience in one of the world’s leading races.

Among those who have lined up in the race in home colours are 2021 Giro d’Italia champion Tao Geoghegan Hart, 2018 Vuelta a Espana victor Simon Yates and Grand Tour stage winner Hugh Carthy.

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director, said: “We’re delighted to unveil the first teams who will be competing in this year’s Tour of Britain. As we look forward to one of the hardest editions of the modern Tour of Britain to date, we feel proud and honoured that the strength of cycling in Britain means that we can field four home UCI-registered teams in the race.

“We feel that giving them confirmation of their selection at this point in the season will allow them time to prepare fully for the event and therefore show off their prowess to a worldwide audience.”

ITV4 will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage and nightly highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch wherever they are.

According to research by Frontline, a roadside crowd of over one million spectators resulted in the Tour of Britain generating £29.96m of net economic benefit for the UK economy.