ALL eyes will be on North Yorkshire today as the first ever Tour de Yorkshire is staged, kick-starting a weekend of cycling activities around the region.

Hundreds of the world’s best cyclists are expected to ride circuits around Yorkshire today, tomorrow and Sunday, with tens of thousands expected to line the route.

Stage one today will see the riders leaving Bridlington at noon, bound south to Filey before heading to Pickering via East Ayton, Hackness and Dalby Forest.

The race heads north through Rosedale before heading east along the Esk Valley to Whitby. Once through Whitby the race heads through Robin Hood’s Bay, then south to Scarborough, finishing on the seafront at about 4.30pm.

Tomorrow, the race starts in Selby, where there will be an all-day cycle festival, with riders leaving Selby Abbey at 11.20am, and setting off for York via Beverley and the Yorkshire Wolds.

The race finishes in York, and there will also be a women’s race covering four laps of the 20km circuit in the city from 10.30am, before the main peloton arrives at about 2.25pm.

The group will ride at Knavesmire, through Micklegate Bar, cross Ouse Bridge, travel through the city centre and on to Layerthorpe before heading out through Heworth and Stockton Lane to Murton, then pass through Osbaldwick, Tang Hall, over Skeldergate Bridge, down Bishopthorpe Road and end at Knavesmire.

At Knavesmire, there will be a New Ebor Street Feast by the finish line for spectators, residents and visitors with locally sourced food, and street parties will also be held around the city, including at Bishopthorpe Road, Fossgate and Micklegate.

Residents and tourists are reminded that the route will be closed from 8am on Saturday until about 5pm, and there will be no access for vehicles to properties near or on the race route.

Around the region, North Yorkshire County Council are leaving leaflets on vehicles around the route advising them to find alternative parking, placing diversion and restriction signs around the route, and advising rolling road closures will be in place before, during and for approximately one hour after the race has passed.

For more information on the Tour de Yorkshire in York go to york.gov.uk/tdy or for more information on travelling in York go to itravelyork.info

For more information about parking restrictions and road closures go to northyorks.gov.uk/tour and more details of the Tour are available at letour.yorkshire.com/tour-de-yorkshire

York Press:
 Children wave Tour de Yorkshire flags at the pre-race party in York last night