Kingsbridge is on the road to international fame and economic fortune after being included in the route of the 2012 Tour of Britain cycle race.

Thousands of spectators are expected to flood into the area to line the roads as the top international cyclists battle it out across the South Hams in the second to last leg of the huge event this September.

Over the last three years the premier cycle race has brought an extra £14m pouring in to Devon as well as showcasing the county to a global audience.

This year's Devon stage will start in Barnstaple and will cover around 106 miles of the county before finishing in Dartmouth.

The route will again take in Dartmoor National Park, where there will be a celebration of cycling, and it will re-visit some towns which have hosted Stage starts and finishes in recent years, including Bideford, Hatherleigh and Tavistock.

It will also wind its way through other communities including Instow, Great Torrington, Okehampton, Princetown, Buckfastleigh, Kingsbridge, Torcross and Stoke Fleming.

Just one month after the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Tour will provide the opportunity for spectators to see Olympic medallists in action as 96 of the world's top cyclists line up for the eight- day race.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, the county council's highways spokesman, said: Last year's Tour of Britain was described as the best ever, but we'll be aiming to go one better in September, particularly during the "Summer of Cycling".

'With the event so close to the Olympic Games there's sure to be an even bigger buzz about this year's race and hopefully we'll get to see some Olympic medallists racing through the county. It was fantastic to have some home-grown success last year with Jon Tiernan Locke's heroics, and I'm sure he'll do Devon proud again.

'As the penultimate stage, Devon could prove to be the decisive stage of the race, which is an added bonus for spectators. The Tour is also an opportunity to demonstrate to everyone watching the race, whether it's on TV or by the roadside, why we're a cycling county.

'This year's route passes through communities which are linked to some of our most popular cycling routes, such as the Tarka Trail, Granite Way and Drake's Trail, and hopefully it will encourage more people to take up cycling or give it another go.'

Last year was the first time an entire stage of The Tour had been held in Devon, having crossed the border into Somerset over the previous three years.

According to an independent report, commissioned by The Tour, an additional £3.1m was spent in the county on the day of last year's Devon stage, with more than 125,000 spectators lining the route from Exeter to Exmouth, via Dartmoor National Park.

Stage seven of the race – the Dartmouth stage – will be going ahead on Saturday, September 15.

The stages of the 2012 Tour of Britain are:

Stage 1: Ipswich to Norwich.

Stage 2: East Midlands – Knowsley, Merseyside.

Stage 3: Jedburgh – Dumfries.

Stage 4: Carlisle – Blackpool.

Stage 5: Stoke-on-Trent.

Stage 6: Welshpool – Caerphilly.

Stage 7: Barnstaple – Dartmouth.

Stage 8: Reigate - Guildford.