A pre-owned watch retailer has signed a deal to sponsor coverage of a major cycling event after experiencing a 30% spike in web traffic from supporting the Tour de France.

Watchfinder is sponsoring ITV4’s coverage of La Vuelta a España, which began on Saturday in Nimes and ends in Madrid on September 10.

It follows the £60 million turnover Maidstone firm’s sponsorship of the channel’s coverage of July’s Tour de France, won by British rider Chris Froome for the fourth time.

It prompted 1.3 million people to visit the company’s website in July.

Watchfinder Director Matt Bowling said: “The ITV4 coverage of the Tour de France was hugely entertaining and the reaction to our sponsorship was overwhelmingly positive.

“With another exciting race in prospect we hope this deal will strengthen our association with a fantastic community of cyclists who share our passion for performance and precision.”

Highlights of each days racing will be presented by Gary Imlach, Ned Boulting, David Millar and Daniel Frieb.