Chain Reaction Cycles to sponsor the Tour of Britain's Points Jersey

Chain Reaction Cycles is to sponsor the Points Jersey at this year's Tour of Britain. The jersey will be known as the Chain Reaction Points Jersey.

Chain Reaction Cycles, the world's largest online bike store, will also become The Tour's Official Online Cycle Retail Partner.

The history of the Tour of Britain stretches back to cycle races held just after World War II. In later guises it was known as The Milk Race, the Kellogg's Tour of Britain and the PruTour. It was with The Milk Race - still the cycling event that has received sponsorship over the longest period, some thirty-five years - that the tour first became widely recognised as an important annual event.

The modern Tour of Britain was first staged in September 2004 and it has continued to be run in September each year since.

Previous winners of the classification include World Road Race Champion Mark Cavendish and double Olympic Gold medallist Geraint Thomas. But the event's appeal to the sporting and viewing public will no doubt have been greatly enhanced by Team GB's spectacular successes in the London Olympics and Bradley Wiggins' enormous triumph in the Tour de France.

Mark Cavendish leads the Tour of Britain 2011

Grant Norris, Event Manager at Chain Reaction Cycles, said: "Chain Reaction Cycles is proud to support The Tour of Britain 2012 by sponsoring this year's Points Jersey. With the nation excited in seeing the fruits of Team GB's Olympic cycling success, it will be great to see the elites back in the saddle for the UK's premier road race".

Chain Reaction Cycles, founded in 1984, boasts a position as the world's largest online cycle store.

Alastair Grant, Commercial Director of The Tour of Britain commented: "We look forward to working with Chain Reaction Cycles going forward and are excited to have them on board for the 2012 event. As ever the Points Jersey will be one of the most closely fought classifications, whose outcome will go down to the wire in Guildford on the final day".