The 100 riders - including Olympic Gold Medallist Bradley Wiggins and 2011 Road Race World Champion Mark Cavendish - were competing in Stage 5 of the Race around the county, which started at Trentham Gardens and finished in Hanley.

 
JCB’s World HQ was almost at the half way point of the 147 kilometre ride today, with the third and final Yodel Sprint taking place on the road outside the digger maker’s Rocester plant.

And as they sped past the factory they were saluted by a JCB backhoe loader painted in Union Jack colours and a fleet of other JCB diggers, some with Union Jacks draped from their buckets and forming a roadside guard of honour.

A JCB spokesman said: “We were delighted to welcome the Tour of Britain cyclists to the JCB World HQ and as one of UK’s biggest manufacturers it was only fitting that they got a big British welcome from machines which help put the country on the map.”

Also greeting the cyclists were around 200 flag waving JCB employees and children from Ryecroft Middle School in Rocester.