RISING cycling star Mathieu van der Poel will compete in this year’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain, with two stages of September’s race due to take in parts of the North-East.

The 24-year-old Dutchman will lead his Corendon-Circus team in Britain’s most prestigious road race as the final part of his preparations for the UCI World Race Road Championships, which are being staged in North Yorkshire.

Van der Poel has been one of the breakout stars of the 2019 road cycling season, claiming five victories including a success at the prestigious Amstel Gold Race and also becoming World and European cyclo-cross champion.

He will be making his Tour of Britain debut, with his UCI Pro-continental team, Corendon-Circus, also making their first appearance in the race.

“I’m happy to go to the Worlds, and to have the occasion to get to know the Tour of Britain in the weeks before,” said van der Poel, who is also Dutch road race champion.

“I’m really happy that the organiser has given our team the chance to participate for the first time, and at the same time it helps me prepare for the Worlds in the best possible way.

“Of course, we’ll study the roadbook in order to decide in which stages we will try to go for a stage win.”

Van der Poel is the son of double Tour de France stage winner, Adri, who won stage five of the 1991 Kellogg’s Tour, the forerunner of the Tour of Britain, in Leeds.

As well as winning this year’s Amstel Gold Race, he also claimed victory in the Dwars van Vlaanderen and Brabantse Pijl, and finished fourth in the Tour of Flanders.

“We are excited that Mathieu, his team and the Dutch federation have identified the OVO Energy Tour of Britain as a key part of his road calendar in 2019 and look forward to welcoming him to the race,” said OVO Energy Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett.

“Like many, I was thrilled to see his performance in the Amstel Gold Race this spring, and am delighted that British fans will now get to see this amazing talent in action first hand.

“The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is held in tremendous regard by the sport’s top teams and riders and we look forward to more exciting announcements before September.”

The Tour of Britain begins in Glasgow’s George Square on September 7, with the opening two stages taking place in Scotland.

Stage three, on Monday, September 9, takes the riders on a 182km route from Berwick to Newcastle, while the following day’s stage, on Tuesday, September 10, will see the field head across the Pennines from Gateshead to Kendal.

The race ends on Saturday, September 14 with the final stage following a 165km route from Altrincham to Deansgate in Manchester city centre.