The start and finish towns for next year's Tour de Yorkshire were confirmed today for the third edition of the popular Northern race.
Bradford, Bridlington, Fox Valley, Harrogate and Scarborough will host either a start or a finish of a stage in the 2017 Tour route, with the event running from Friday, 28th April to Sunday the 30th.
The 2016 edition saw evergreen fan favourite Thomas Voeckler win the overall title, after sprinting to a final stage victory over second placed Nicolas Roche. On the women's side, Dutch rider Kristen Wild won what was a historic race in that it was the first women's race to offer prize money exceeding that of the men's event.
Fan favourite
Last year's event generated an estimated £60m for the local economy, with around two million spectators lining the course, and a further 11.4 million watch television coverage around the world.
'Riders are overwhelmed by the support they receive on the roadside and the racing is among the most exciting you will see all season,' said Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity.
'The third edition will be greater than ever given that we have just succeeded in bringing the UCI Road World Championships to the county in 2019.'
Sunny Scarborough will continue its tradition of hosting a stage in each edition of the Tour so far, having welcomed the peloton home at the end of 2015's stage one and last year’s final stage.
In a change from the current format, the single-stage women’s Tour de Yorkshire will take place on the Saturday – 29th April – rather than the Sunday alongside the final stage of the men’s race as it was this year.
Riders targeting success at the 2019 World Championships will no doubt be paying close attention to the parcours when the full Tour de Yorkshire route is announced in December.