Cornwall is set to receive a boost to the economy next year when it hosts the first stage of the 2020 Tour of Britain, with riders travelling 170km through the Cornish countryside, starting at Penzance and ending in Bodmin.

The stage’s provisional route (subject to final approval) will also visit St Just, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Pool, Redruth, Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, Newquay, St Austell and the Eden Project.

The agreement to hold the race will be confirmed at a special signing ceremony with the Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot and Cornwall Council at Chy Trevail in Bodmin this afternoon.

The race will give a massive boost to Cornwall’s economy. Independent economic reports estimate that the race will generate over £3m of extra spending in Cornwall and it is hoped that around 180,000 people will line the county’s roads to watch.

120 riders take part in the Tour of Britain and by hosting the first stage of the race in 2020, it will give opportunity for the public in Cornwall to see the world’s best cyclists in action.