North Yorkshire will again play a prominent role in hosting the Tour de Yorkshire in 2018, as it was announced today that two of the eight start and finish points for the international cycle race are in the county.
Richmond and Scarborough were named among the towns that will host either a start or finish of the race, which has been expanded to a four-day men’s race and a two-day women’s race, which will take place between 3rd and 6th May, 2018. The other towns announced today were Barnsley, Beverley, Doncaster, Halifax, Ilkley and Leeds.
Full route details will be revealed in December, along with which locations will be a start and which a finish and the routes taken between them. It is expected that North Yorkshire will again host a significant amount of the routes, as it has done in the previous 3 years.
The Tour de Yorkshire is run by Amaury Sport Organisation, which also owns the Tour de France, and Welcome to Yorkshire and supported by British Cycling.
The event is being supported by local authorities across Yorkshire. The County Council plays an important role in contributing towards the cost of the event and its planning and delivery. The event has firmly established itself on the international cycling calendar and has been praised for its stage routes and terrain, as well as the huge roadside crowds. This year, 50 per cent of the race took place in North Yorkshire, including stage finishes in Harrogate, Tadcaster and Scarborough.
The leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Councillor Carl Les, said: “We’re yet again pleased to welcome this race to North Yorkshire, which will see the now familiar cycling backdrop of Scarborough as a start or finish and also the historic market town of Richmond. We know that bringing this international cycle race to North Yorkshire strengthens the county’s economy and gives a significant boost to tourism, bringing benefits that go beyond just the race weekend.
“Now with years of experience of hosting world class cycling events in North Yorkshire, I have no doubt that the County Council will once again rise to the challenge and that the residents of North Yorkshire will once again embrace it. Working with our colleagues in district councils, I am sure that the race in North Yorkshire will build on the success of previous years, with many spectators along the route and watching the stunning scenery of our county on television.”
County Council officers will work closely with district councils, Welcome to Yorkshire and the Amaury Sports Organisation on route design for next year’s race to ensure any disruption to the road network is minimised and the county is shown in its best light.