Former Tour de France stage winner Sean Yates was delighted to see the roads of Sussex crammed with spectators as the Tour of Britain came to his home county.

Yates, who has previously been team director of Team Sky, was back on Madeira Drive as chief of NFTO.

Yates, who won an individual stage of the Tour de France in 1988, told The Argus: “It has been great to come back and ride through my home town of Uckfield where I now live.

“It was great to see so many people out on the roads, not only in Uckfield but all the way through Sussex lining the sides of the roads.”

Yates added: “It’s been fantastic. The lead has changed every day and every day has been hard, long and fast.

“For us guys from the small British scene it is really hard work against World Tour teams who have come out of the Tour de France and other grand tours, classics and things like that.

“For our guys they have been racing domestically and it is a massive step up for them as you can see from the results.

“The British guys have appeared now and then and we have tried to appear in the breaks but it is a big ask.

“Hopefully Adam Blythe will get a good result for us tomorrow in the final stage.”