Thousands of people across Mansfield district turned out to cheer on the Tour of Britain cyclists as they raced through Nottinghamshire today.

Stage Five of the UK’s biggest and most prestigious cycle race was snatched by Belgium’s Jordi Meeus in a nail-biting final 100m outside Mansfield Civic Centre.

Second was Poland’s Stanisław Aniołkowski and British favourite Tom Pidcock was third after the gruelling 118 miles (187km) through Nottinghamshire.

The final 8.8 miles (14km) of the Stage took the peloton through Warsop, Mansfield Woodhouse, Forest Town and other neighbourhoods close to Mansfield town centre.

Competing in the globally televised race was Ross Lamb, from Mansfield, who came 35th out of 97 riders who finished the stage.

The cycling heroes were able to mingle with fans for autographs and selfies after the finish at the Tour of Britain ‘village’ at Chesterfield Road Park where the family entertainment included a have-a-go BMX track, live music and various sporting activities.

Youngsters from three local schools also took part in a bike dash to the finishing line and visitors were able to keep up with live coverage of the race on a big screen in the park throughout the day.

Adam Hill, the council’s CEO, said: “What a fabulous event. It was great to see so many people enjoying the atmosphere at the festival finale. And thankfully the heavens only opened minutes after the podium ceremony had finished!

“As with the previous occasions when the Tour of Britain came to Mansfield, the race organisers were thrilled with our co-ordination and execution of this major sporting event in our district.

“An event like this is a really big deal for the area and it takes months of careful preparation and hard work to achieve.

“I would like to thank all the officers and volunteers who went above and beyond to make this happen and our brilliant residents, local community groups and businesses who got behind the event.”

Attractions at the finale included cycling themed entertainment, stalls, sporting activities and live music from Back Chat Brass.

It was the third time that Mansfield had welcomed the event after hosting a stage start in 2017 and a stage finish in 2018.

The race began in Aberdeen on Sunday (4 September) and is due to culminate on the Isle of Wight on Sunday. ITV4 is broadcasting live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage and nightly highlights show. The race is being shown in over 150 countries worldwide.