A TOP cycling event will return to Manningtree and Mistley this year, it has been revealed.

Stage Two of the Women’s Tour 2015 will pass through the area on June 18.

The stage will begin in Braintree with the riders, including last year’s winner Marianne Vos and Olympic champion Laura Trott, travelling across the county before finishing in Clacton.

Cycling stars Bethany Hayward and Gabriella Shaw, of the Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International team, were in Tendring on Tuesday to launch the event.

Mark Morsley, chairman of the Manningtree Association for Commerce, Culture and Community, described the route announcement as “tremendous news”.

He said: “I know it is only for a few seconds, but last year it created a real buzz.”