Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins will be joining Barnolds-wick residents, and sportive riders for a special event next month.

Riders from all over the country are expected to arrive in the market town to compete in the Ride with Brad event on Sunday, August 19.

They will attempt one of the two challenging sportive rides on roads where Wiggins regularly trains while sampling the stunning Ribble Valley countryside. This new event has been specially organised to celebrate the launch of the Bradley Wiggins Foundation which aims to encourage participation in cycling.

Riders will certainly be in for a cycling treat as the Sportive explores one of the most scenic and low-traffic areas in England. Both Sportive routes (160km or 100km) go on a tour of Lancashire’s most natural beauty spots. This includes the Forest of Bowland where riders pass through picturesque villages and farmland, before climbing onto remote open moorland where they will be greeted with stunning views and a silence broken only by their exertions.

The 160km route conquers many challenging climbs and descents that have featured in the Tour of Lancashire, the Tour of Britain and the National Road Race Champion- ships. Renowned climbs such as Waddington Fell, Trough of Bowland, Nick o’ Pendle and Longridge Fell form the breath-taking backdrop to this challenging route. The route has a heritage to match the riders who have raced on its roads in years gone by and who train on it to this day.

The shorter 100km route misses out the northern moorland loop around the Trough of Bowland but still includes Barley Fell, Waddington Fell, Longridge Fell and the Nick o' Pendle, a shorter challenge but still with plenty of fantastic scenery and the chance to ride with Wiggins too.

Both routes start and finish at Victory Park, Barnoldswick .

There will be plenty of opportunities to refuel at a number of Feed Stations along the way provided by s Gatorade and CNP.