Cycling legend Wiggins set for Sussex outing

The cycling star is scheduled to ride the Tour of Britain which passes through the county next month.

The eight-day stage race will run through Horsham, Petworth, Wisborough Green and Five Oaks on its penultimate day, with the 140-mile course visiting a number of towns in Sussex, before rapidly descending into Brighton for a frenetic finish.

Wiggins seemed to have been planning to ride the Tour of Spain – one of road cycling’s three Grand Tours, of which the Tour de France is one – but has instead opted to defend the title he won in 2013, according to Team Sky’s principal Sir Dave Brailsford.

The 2012 Tour de France champion, who has also won four Olympic gold medals in addition to the BBC Sports Personality Award, won last year’s Tour of Britain by dominating the time-trial stage and sticking with his rivals on the hills.

The same formula may well produce results this year, with a short time-trial running alongside the River Thames in central London on the final day of the 855-mile event, which runs from September 7 to September 14.