Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish to lead field on Tour of Britain

The arrival of the biggest names in British cycling in the area will bring a 'huge boost', delighted civic leaders said. Tomorrow's stage starts at 10.30am from Powis Castle and will see the cyclists complete a loop of Welshpool

They will then head for Abermule and on to Kerry and Newtown.

The race will continue towards Llandrindod Wells and on to Brecon before finishing in Caerphilly.

Welshpool mayor John Meredith said hundreds of people were expected to turn out to see the cyclists and said the arrival of the high profile event was the 'icing on the cake' of a fantastic summer for the town.

He said: "This is fantastic for Welshpool and fantastic for the area.

"We have had a great summer. We had the jubilee, we had the Olympic torch come through and then to have this and all the big name cyclists arrive really is the icing on the cake.

"This is the second time we have had it in Welshpool. Last year was the first and hundreds of people and many of the schoolchildren came out to see it.

"I hope that happens again. I think this will be a huge boost for traders.

"People are excited about it. We have held a window dressing competition on the theme of the Tour of Britain and many businesses have taken part.

"That demonstrates how people are getting involved. We are all looking forward to a wonderful day."

Oswestry triathlete and Olympic torch bearer Linda Arthan said she was going to try to get to Welshpool to watch some of the stage.

She said: "I would love to see Mark Cavendish and Wiggo close up and to experience the atmosphere on our doorstep."

Tour of Britain spokeswoman Angel Grant said the arrival of the event would be a great chance for people to see Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins up close.

She said: "Their profile and the profile of cycling has been raised so much since the Tour de France and the Olympics.

"Their success has really got a lot more people interested in cycling."