People can plan their Tour de Yorkshire vantage points as the final preparations are underway to welcome the race to North Yorkshire.
The iconic road race is now just days away as towns and villages begin the countdown to celebrations for the race, which will run from 2 May to 5 May 2019.
North Yorkshire will be hosting three race finishes, with Selby hosting the finish point on Thursday, 2 May, Bedale hosting the men and women’s finishes on May 3 and Scarborough forming the finish point for male and female riders on May 4.
Similar to previous tours, rolling road closures will be in place, which will see highways closed for under an hour to allow the safe passage of the race. There will be longer delays at the race finish pints, some hill climbs and town centre locations.
There will also be parking restrictions in place along the race route, including in Harrogate, where there will be no parking allowed on the race route from 8pm on Thursday, 2 May until 6pm on Friday, 3 May. People affected with residents’ street parking permits, or visitor permits, can leave their cars in adjacent resident parking zones.
Road closures will be managed by police and signs will be put in place with details of the closures nearer the race weekend.
In Whitby and Scarborough, the park and ride car parks and bus services will be operating, with drop-off and pick-up points in Scarborough town centre on Aberdeen Walk.
County Councillor Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Highways said:
Preparations are now well underway to ensure everyone will have a fantastic time watching this year’s race.
The race will be travelling through some stunning parts of our county; including the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors, the coast and other great vantage points.
But we ask people to remember to use their common sense when picking a place to view the race. Avoid waiting for the race on roads which are too narrow, or have no verge to stand on, and make sure our dry stone walls remain protected by avoiding climbing or sitting on them and please remember not to park on the race route.
Whilst in the vast majority of places, road closures will be under an hour, there are places such as hill climbs and finish points where longer closures will be taking place. We urge people to be patient if necessary, check local road closures on our website and plan ahead.
Drivers are urged to allow extra time for their journeys and can check to find out when specific roads are closed online at; www.northyorks.gov.uk/tour-de-yorkshire.
Race information is also available at; letouryorkshire.com
This year, every stage of the race will pass through North Yorkshire at some point;
Thursday, 2 May
The opening stage of the race will wind its way 178km from South Yorkshire, through East Yorkshire and then finish in North Yorkshire. The finish line will be next to Selby Abbey, which this year celebrates its 950th anniversary.
After setting off from Doncaster, the race will briefly pass into Little Smeaton in North Yorkshire at approximately 1.35pm before heading out to Goole, Howden, Beverley, and Pocklington. It arrives back in North Yorkshire several hours later, with the riders reaching Escrick at approximately 5pm, before travelling through Cawood and Thorpe Willoughby. The race will finish in Selby between approximately 5.30pm and 5.50pm.
Commuters using the A19 at Escrick are advised there may be potential delays between 4.30pm and 5.45pm and they should allow extra time for their journey.
Several roads in Selby, including Leeds Road, Doncaster Road, Park Street and The Crescent will be closed for a slightly longer period than other highways on the route, from approximately 4pm to 6.15pm. Gowthorpe, the finish point for Stage 1 of the men’s race will be closed from 6am until 10pm for celebrations.
Friday, 3 May
Friday will see the start of the women’s race, as well as stage two of the men’s race. The men’s race leaves Barnsley at 2.45pm and the women’s at 9.15am. They are expected to cross the finish line at Bedale between 12.30pm to 12.55pm for the women’s race and 5.47pm to 6.04pm for the men’s race.
The first climb in North Yorkshire is Cote de Robin’s Hill, which the women’s race will hit at 11am and the later men’s race at approximately 4.25pm.
The races will then pass through Harrogate, taking in the finishing circuit of the forthcoming UCI Road World Championships. Rolling road closures will be in place through the Harrogate circuit, with the exception of the A61 West Park and Parliament Street, which will be closed from 10am until 12pm and 2.30pm until 5.30pm. The race then passes through the centre of Ripon before heading north towards the stage finish in Bedale Market Place, will host some of the day’s celebrations in Bedale and will be closed to traffic from 5am until 10pm.
Saturday, 4 May
The men and women’s races will take on a stunning coastal stretch making from Bridlington to Scarborough via Sandsend, Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. This section will offer sweeping views of the moors and coast, passing by coastal landmarks including Whitby Abbey, but will also test the riders with several punishing climbs along the way.
The women’s race leaves Bridlington at 9.05am, passing into North Yorkshire at Hunmanby at 9.33am.
The men’s race leaves Bridlington at 2.30pm and reaches Hunmanby 2.55pm.
The riders will reach the first climb of the day, The Cote de Silpho, at 10.16am for the women’s race and 3.32pm for the men’s.
From there, it’s on to the coastal village of Fylingthorpe and then Whitby.
There will be a Sprint point near Whitby Abbey before the race reaches Whitby Harbour on Church Street and Station Square at 11am for the women’s race and 4.10pm for the men’s race.
Then there will be three more climbs; Cote de Lythe bank, Cote de Grosmont and Cote de Ugglebarnby.
Then it’s on to Scarborough for a final seafront sprint from South Bay to North Bay which is anticipated to be 12.45pm for the first female riders, where the winner of the Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race will be crowned.
The men’s race will reach North Bay at 5.35pm.
Sunday, 5 May
Stage four sees the final stage of the men’s race.
The 182km route will start in Halifax at 12.35pm and travel 130km through North Yorkshire and towards the finish point in Leeds, passing through picturesque Dales villages and towns including Skipton, Middleham and Masham, before a crowd-pleasing conclusion along The Headrow in Leeds at 17.15pm.
