Inaugural Tour de Yorkshire to begin in Bridlington and finish in Leeds
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Version 0 of 1. The inaugural Tour de Yorkshire three-day stage race in May will start in Bridlington and finish in Leeds after a final stage through the Dales, which the organisers describe as resembling the Liège-Bastogne-Liège Classic. Stage one travels up the coast to Scarborough, while stage two ends in the historic city of York, which also hosts a women’s race linked to the tour, on 2 May. The Yorkshire event is part of the legacy from last year’s successful Tour de France Grand Départ in the county, when an estimated two and a half million people turned out to watch, some of the biggest figures in the history of the French race. Gary Verity, the chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said he and his team had sought to produce a route that visits parts of the county the Tour de France had missed, while retaining links to the Grand Départ. “We wanted to spread the love,” Verity told the Guardian. “We wanted the link to the Tour de France but it’s not all about the Tour. It was very important to include the coast – we wanted one very tough stage – and it was very important to include a women’s race. “Last year’s Tour start was a big economic boost, forward bookings for this year are higher and confidence is higher and more people are cycling in Yorkshire. There is a legacy on many fronts, such as the Bike Library scheme, which means every child in Yorkshire can have access to a bike. This is another strand.” Stage one starts in Bridlington and travels through Pickering, Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay before the finish on Scarborough’s seafront. “It’s tougher than people think,” said Verity. The stage includes 2,300m of climbing, with five categorised climbs for the King of the Mountains award, the pick of these being the ascent out of Robin Hood’s Bay. “I cycled through there before the Tour came in July and got a real shock,” said Verity. “It’s very testing and quite technical in parts, for example the descent into Whitby.” The finale will see the riders race the full length of Scarborough’s seafront, including a short stretch of cobbles. Day two from Selby to York is relatively flat, with only two climbs. Here the wind is the only threat. “These roads are a doddle on a nice day, but in a bit of a breeze they take on a different complexion – there is no shelter,” said Verity. The race goes through Beverley’s historic Bar – the 15th century gate through the town walls – and past the medieval Minster. The finish in York is by the city’s racecourse, which also hosted the start of stage two of the Tour de France, and comes after a 20km circuit on closed roads that goes through the historic centre. This will be used earlier in the day for the women’s race, over four or five laps of the course. Stage three from Wakefield to Leeds is intended to resemble the second stage of last year’s Tour de France, which saw a dramatic finish in Sheffield won by the eventual overall winner, Vincenzo Nibali. It is relatively short but includes 3,100m of climbing, with six categorised ascents and three that will not be included in the King of the Mountains. The route loops south to Barnsley before heading west to Holmfirth to cover part of the 2014 Grand Départ route, but in reverse. That means, for example, that the “longest ascent in England”, in Cragg Vale, becomes the longest descent, although in Haworth the route has been tweaked so that the peloton can climb the cobbled ascent in the town centre in the same direction that the Tour de France took. Further on, the village of Addingham – between Ilkley and Skipton – will see world-class cycling for the third time in 10 months, having had the Tour de France pass through on both last year’s Grand Départ stages. The Tour de Yorkshire will run through Ilkley, up the Cow and Calf climb, before the climbs of Otley Chevin, tackled twice on different roads. That is followed by a further climb near Harewood House on the outskirts of Leeds before the run-in to the finish in Roundhay Park. The Yorkshire race represents the first attempt by the Tour de France organiser, Amaury Sport Organisation, to set up a permanent event in the UK after three successful visits by the Tour in the past 20 years. In contrast to the Tour of Britain – run by the Sweetspot organisation – it will be contested by 16 eight-rider teams, rather than the British Tour’s six-man squads. They will include British squads and Verity hopes among their number will be the new team being formed this season by Sir Bradley Wiggins. |