Monday 22 December 2014 16:22, UK
Leeds, Wakefield, York, Scarborough, Bridlington and Selby will all host either stage starts or finishes at the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire, organisers have revealed.
The annual three-day race has been set up to build on the success of this summer’s Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire and will be held from May 1-3 next year.
The stages on which each host venue will figure, plus full routes and schedules, will be announced on January 21.
The race is being organised by Welcome To Yorkshire and Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), who also run the Tour de France, and will make its debut as a UCI 2.1-ranked event, which is the third tier of professional cycling.
Christian Prudhomme, ASO's Tour de France race director, said: "I am delighted we are returning to Yorkshire, where we saw the grandest ever Grand Depart for the Tour de France. It is clear the people of Yorkshire are passionate about cycling and we can’t wait to bring them this new race."
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome To Yorkshire, said: "This is another huge milestone for Yorkshire as we position the county as the cycling heartland of Europe. This is the first ever Tour de Yorkshire. I am confident it will become a huge annual event and something that will raise Yorkshire’s profile year on year."
The inclusion of Scarborough as a host venue hints that the race could venture into the North York Moors and tackle the norotious Rosedale Chimney Bank, which has a maximum gradient of 33 per cent and is regarded as one of the toughest cycle climbs in Britain.
Events of this calibre show to the world that Britain has what it takes to be the par excellence deliverer of iconic, world-class showpieces.
Thierry Gouvenou, ASO's technical director, tweeted a photo from the top of the road in September along with the words "Time to go back".
The Tour de Yorkshire will be the third major men's international cycle race held annually in Great Britain, joining the Tour of Britain and RideLondon-Surrey Classic.
Bob Howden, the president of British Cycling, said: "This new annual race, partnering Welcome To Yorkshire and ASO with British Cycling, will help to maintain the legacy progress gained so far, helping us to achieve our collective goals of inspiring more people to get on their bikes and get active.
"Events of this calibre show to the world that Britain has what it takes to be the par excellence deliverer of iconic, world-class showpieces."
Organisers have also revealed a mass-participation sportive will be held on May 3, allowing members of the public to ride the same route as the professionals.
