Team Sky highlight rainforest destruction at ToB

Team Sky will be doing its bit to help save 1 billion Amazonian rainforest trees during the Tour of Britain, which starts on Saturday.

Six Team Sky riders - Steve Cummings, Russell Downing, Mathew Hayman, Greg Henderson, Geraint Thomas and Bradley Wiggins - will be using specially commissioned, Rainforest Rescue-branded jerseys, glasses, helmets, water bottles, saddles and bikes while Team Sky staff will also be wearing 100% recycled sunglasses.

The Sky Rainforest Rescue project is a three-year partnership between Sky and WWF, designed to help save a billion trees in the state of Acre, northwest Brazil.

Deforestation is now said to be responsible for roughly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions and an area the size of three football pitches is destroyed every minute in the Amazon according to the Rainforest Rescue project.

Bradley Wiggins stressed how crucial it is to act now, saying: "Wearing this unique Sky Rainforest Rescue kit during the Tour of Britain is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness for a really important issue and help reach the target of raising £4million to save one billion trees in the Amazon."

For more information visit: www.sky.com/rainforestrescue while road.cc blogger JimmytheCuckoo has his say here.

The 2010 Tour of Britain takes place over eight days, beginning in Rochdale on Saturday and finishing at the heart of London on September 18.