Well-known names from the mountains and the sprints in the Tour de France spearhead the start list for The Tour of Britain's tenth anniversary, which kicks off in Peebles on Sunday.

Former World Road Race Champion Mark Cavendish leads the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team, which includes fellow sprinter and treble Tour of Britain stage winner Alessandro Petacchi alongside him as a teammate for the first time.

Movistar make their Tour of Britain debut with a strong team which includes Nairo Quintana, Tour de France King of the Mountains and Best Young Rider, plus British Time Trial Champion Alex Dowsett and double 2013 Giro d'Italia stage winner Giovanni Visconti.

Between them the riders in the field have won more than a centenary Grand Tour stages, while in Cavendish and Petacchi the field has two of only five riders in history to have won the Points Jerseys in all three Grand Tours.

"Every year the rider list for The Tour of Britain has grown more and more impressive, with this year being no exception to that," said Mick Bennett, Race Director for The Tour of Britain of the official race website.

"We have world-class sprinters like Mark Cavendish and Gerald Ciolek, the very best time trialists in Sir Bradley Wiggins and Alex Dowsett, and exceptional climbing talents in Nairo Quintana and Dan Martin, plus many others who I could mention.

"I, like all cycling fans in Britain, look forward to seeing how this year's race develops over the eight stages and who can succeed Jonathan Tiernan Locke in the IG Gold Jersey."

In addition to Quintana, this summer's King of the Mountains from the Giro d'Italia Stefano Pirazzi starts for Bardiani Valvole CSF Inox, alongside fellow stage winner Enrico Battaglin.

In total the field can claim eight stage wins at the 2013 Giro d'Italia and four from July's Tour de France, plus the winners of this season's Milan San Remo (Gerald Ciolek) and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (Dan Martin).

The Tour of Britain gets underway in Peebles in Scotland on Sunday 15th September, finishing in the centre of London eight days later on Sunday 22nd September, with stages in the Lake District, Snowdonia and the race's first ever summit finish on Dartmoor on Stage Six.