Aberdeen set to host UK's Pearl Izumi Tour Series

The Pearl Izumi Tour series, the UK's premier criterium race series, looks set to head further north than ever before as Aberdeen council prepare to commit to a three-year contract.

Aberdeen City Council is prepared to offer-up £45,000 per year to secure the northern Scottish city's inclusion in the next three years of the competition that's seen the likes of Bradley Wiggins compete over the years.

Final agreements are set to be made by councillors on Thursday as they're asked to approve the funding, and the hope is the Tour series will be heading up to Scotland for the third time in two years.

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Last year the race came to Motherwell and Edinburgh in May, with Jon Mould and Graham Briggs of JLT-Condor and Madison Genesis rolling away with the individual wins. The actually made its Scottish debut in Edinburgh back in 2014, while it went to Motherwell for the first time the year after.

The criterium series is billed as Britains fastest race, but it's also Britain's only domestic bicycle race series to be televised on terrestrial television - ITV4 is its home.

Should Aberdeen city councillors approve the race the plan is to fold in a wider cycling celebration in the city over the weekend of the race's visit.

According to a report from the council the event would bring "economic benefit and exposure at a national and international level" to Aberdeen.