Tour of Britain returns to Suffolk as director admits he wants to bring race back to the county

Over 100 of the world's best riders have been taking part in the Tour of Britain in front of tens of thousands of fans as the race visited the East coast.

Stage five of the prestigious cycle race started and finished in Felixstowe in Suffolk - the first time the men's event has been held in the county since 2017.

Against blistering blue skies the cyclists sped through villages including Babergh, Kesgrave, Hadleigh, Needham Market and Framlingham as crowds lined the streets.

The 192.4km leg was a circular route from Felixstowe, which was eventually won by the Belgian Wout Van Aert, who broke away on a solo attack in the final kilometre to take his first stage win of this year's tour.

Over 400,000 people have watched the Tour of Britain during its previous visits to Suffolk, generating millions of pounds of economic benefit for the county.

"We're moving 700/800 people every day and they've got to go into hotels which we book within the county alone, so the return on investment for Suffolk is great," said race director Mick Bennett.

"We get fantastic cooperation from Suffolk and long may it be that way - you know, I would love to keep coming back every year."

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