WITH less than a month to go until Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor and Devon will be showcased to a live worldwide TV audience during the Devon stage of the Tour of Britain, a county councillor has been reflecting on the seven times the tour has passed through the county in previous years.

The Devon stage, will be stage six of this year's tour, covering 85 miles of the county.

The route starts at Sidmouth, eventually passing through Moretonhampstead after 126 miles of racing.

The route also includes SKODA 'King of the Mountains' climbs at Pennsylvania Road on the outskirts of Exeter, Mamhead, and Six Mile Hill near Dunsford.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highways, said: 'The tour is ten years old and it has given us some great memories in Devon during the seven years that the county council has been involved.

'It has raced through a lot of Devon in that time, highlighting that we are a genuine cycling county, while also providing the county with more than £21-million for the local economy.

'Over the years spectators in Devon have had the chance to see the best riders in the world, including Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, on our local roads.

'It was the icing on the cake for a Devon rider to win last year when Jon Tiernan Locke won the IG Gold Jersey.

'The tour has really established itself over the past ten years and I'm delighted that Devon has been a part of that.

'No doubt this year's tour will provide us with many more special moments and we hope the Devon stage will be a fitting celebration for this tenth anniversary tour.'

The tour made its first foray into Devon in 2007 when the race crossed briefly into the county from Somerset, descending into Lynmouth then tackling a 'King of the Mountains' climb to Watersmeet, before returning to Somerset.

Since then, Devon's involvement has grown year on year, as has the involvement of West Devon. In 2009 the Devon stage started in Hatherleigh, with a carnival procession involving a giant bicycle before Ben Swift, now a rider with Team Sky, took his first professional victory to become the first British stage winner at the tour for two years.

In Team Sky's debut season in 2010, Bradley Wiggins was among the stars to take his place at the starting line in Tavistock.

Last year's event saw people line the streets of Okehampton, Hatherleigh, Folly Gate, Sourton and Lydford to cheer riders racing through Devon. Many people camped out overnight on Dartmoor to claim their space trackside for the 'King of the Mountains' stage of the penultimate day of the tour, the highest climb of the entire race.

Dartmoor National Park, which organised an open top bus viewing point at Rundlestone near Princetown, said it was the best advert for the moor it had ever had.

The 2013 Tour of Britain runs from September 15 to September 22, starting in Peebles in the Scottish Borders and ending with an iconic final stage in the heart of London.

For more information on the tour of Britain, visit http://www.southwesttourofbritain.co.uk">www.southwesttourofbritain.co.uk or http://www.tourofbritain.co.uk">www.tourofbritain.co.uk and on Twitter @SWTourofBritain.