STAGE two of the Tour de Yorkshire will once again kick off in Barnsley.
The route was revealed last week, with the second day starting in Church Street, Barnsley, on Friday May 3, and finishing in the North Yorkshire town of Bedale.
This will also be the first start of the women’s race, and the news was met with cheers at the reveal in Leeds.
Sir Gary Verity praised Barnsley’s input at this year’s event and said that was a big reason as to why Barnsley was chosen again.
Sir Gary, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “It’s always exciting to unveil the host towns for the Tour de Yorkshire and this year is no exception.
“This is the second time in succession Barnsley has been chosen as it did such a fantastic job this year.”
Sir Gary also paid tribute to sporting national treasures from Barnsley including three times Olympic gold medalist Ed Clancy and cricket umpire Dickie Bird.
Philip Spurr, service director for culture and visitor economy at Barnsley Council, said: “This is a really exciting time for Barnsley. This year was great for Barnsley’s economy and it is fantastic that we get to be a part of it again. The event will benefit the whole borough.
“It’s great that other parts of the borough such as Mapplewell and Royston will get to experience this prestigious event.
“I’m also really pleased that it will once again start outside our iconic town hall. This is a really exciting time for Barnsley.”
This stage, known as the World Stage, is 132 km and will pass through 35 towns and villages. There will be two sprints and one king of the mountains and a total climb of 1441 metres.
The riders will exit Barnsley in a north-easterly direction and head towards Pontefract for the first intermediate sprint.
The route then skirts Leeds and shortly after Leathley the peloton will commence the Côte de Lindley, the first of five climbs on this year’s route. Then it’s on to Harrogate for the second intermediate sprint before continuing through Ripon and onto Bedale.
Coun Roy Miller, cabinet spokesperson for place, said: “We’re extremely proud and privileged to once again host this race in Barnsley. Last year’s event was a great celebration for everyone who came to visit our town centre and visitor attractions; with our residents showing fantastic displays and decorations along the route.
“We do a lot of work to encourage more people cycling within our borough and another huge boost of hosting this event is a great way to keep this work continuing.
“Plans are well underway to make this year’s event even bigger and better, and Mapplewell and Royston will certainly be delighted to host the race and demonstrate what the Barnsley communities are capable of.”Â
The world’s top female riders join the action in Barnsley and start in the morning with the men following in the afternoon.
Speaking about the changes to the women’s race, Sir Gary added: “I can’t tell you how important it is to move the women’s race to the Friday and Saturday so they ride with the biggest crowds.
“I’m delighted that the women’s race will be shown in its entirety on live television.”
Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France at the A.S.O, said: “Yorkshire is unique, Tour De Yorkshire is unique. It is a brutal and beautiful race.
“The Tour de Yorkshire is a true success story and in just four years it has grown to become one of the best attended and most dramatic races on the cycling calendar.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with such a great team at Welcome to Yorkshire and I know our eight start and finish locations will put on a real show in 2019.”
Stage one will start at Doncaster and end in Selby and goes through the East Yorkshire Wolds, calling in at Beverley and Pocklington.
