Team Wiggins and JLT Condor signed up for Staffordshire Cycling Festival in July

Sir Bradley Wiggins’s own newly-formed Team Wiggins are the latest pro cycling team confirmed for the Staffordshire Cycling Festival this July.

Held from Friday 3rd to Saturday 4th July in Stafford, the event kicks off a special summer of cycling in the town, having already signed up 2014 Tour Series winners, JLT-Condor, home of Ed Clancy MBE, Kristian House and Graham Briggs among its pros.

The two teams join Catford CC Equipe Banks, Pedal Heaven and Starley Primal on the start lists for the men’s elite races, the Stafford Grand Prix and Stafford Kermesse.

Staffordshire Cycling Festival founder and organiser, Paul Rowlands, said: “It’s fantastic news that Stafford is once again attracting the UK’s best cycling talent.

“We’ll be putting on a great show so expect a strong turnout from people wanting to see the teams in action and enjoy the full line up of Festival events for themselves.”

The party will be taken to the streets during the festival, with balance bike races for the kids and a chance for the public to ride the closed pro circuit with Free Ride Friday, before the professionals take on the Stafford GP.

Two sportives on Saturday are open to all, with the INTO Staffordshire 35 mile ride and revamped route for the 66 mile ride happening alongside a Festival Village at Shugborough Hall Estate. The pros will then ride the Francesco Group Women’s Grand Prix and the Stafford Kermesse – one of the UK’s only closed road pro road races.

For more information or to register to ride one of the two sportives, visit www.ridestaffs.co.uk.

As we reported earlier this year, Staffordshire Cycling Festival was partly crowdfunded online.

According to a pitch on Crowdfunder.co.uk by organiser Paul Rowlands of Leadout Cycling Ltd, the event costs more than £100,000 to stage. He is seeking funding of £5,000 towards that.

That cost of staging the event, financed mainly from sportive entry fees and sponsorship from local businesses, is mainly spent on infrastructure plus the costs of closing roads and managing traffic for the event.

Other examples of expenditure include £100 for race numbers, £500 for clothing for volunteers staffing the event, £2,000 for the prize fund for one of the races and £3,500 for signage.

Rowlands says: “The idea of paying to watch a bike race is a new one outside of Velodromes, but we know you value the sport we work hard to provide for you.

“A small contribution can go a huge distance in helping is to deliver and grow the exciting spectacle the Staffordshire Cycling Festival has become. We're hoping to raise just 5 per cent of the event budget directly from spectators and fans of the event.

“If you're one of those who help to make up that 5 per cent, we can't thank you enough.”