BARNSLEY will be a host town for the third stage of this year’s Tour de Yorkshire, it has been revealed.
It will be the third successive year the town’s played a role in the prestigious cycling race, which returns on April 30 and finishes on May 3.
Stage one goes from Beverley to Redcar and stage two is from Skipton to Leyburn, before some of the world’s elite male and female riders come to Barnsley.
The town centre will host stage three, which ends in Huddersfield on May 2, and crowds are set to flock to the start outside Barnsley Town Hall as seen in previous years.
The race’s final stage starts in Halifax and ends in Leeds.
Peter Dodd, commercial director of tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Barnsley’s been chosen because it’s shown on the last three years just how great it’s been.
“Riders will loop the iconic town hall before heading west at Worsbrough, taking in Oxspring and Penistone on the way to Huddersfield via Holmfirth.”
Coun Dave Leech added: “The return of this tremendous event is great news. Barnsley is getting well-known as a cycling town and the more we can do to get more people of any age involved the better.
“It inspires young riders to find a love of racing and competing and brings the elite-level riders to our town.”
