Pontefract disappointed to not be included in this year's Tour de Yorkshire route

Pontefract has not been included in this Years Tour de Yorkshire Route.
Pontefract town has been included in previous TDY routesPontefract town has been included in previous TDY routes
Pontefract town has been included in previous TDY routes

And the announcement has left those people and organisations trying to make the town a better place 'disappointed after the success of last year's race.

The Tour visited in 2019 and Pontefract was awarded the Best Dressed town of the tour.

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And Phil Cook, Pontefract Civic Society vice chair said: “While we're obviously disappointed that the Tour will not be coming through Pontefract allowing us to defend our title the legacy of 2019 is still strong and lives on.

“The decoration team had already made plans for both options, with the route not coming through the town it will now allow us to concentrate on our plans to decorate and plan events for the 75th anniversary of VE day which is the week after the TDY.

“So while disappointing, we see it as an opportunity for the individuals business and organisations to come together again and build on 2019 for VE day and other events.”

It is the fifth time the race has been staged and the cyclists will take in other Yorkshire towns including Skipton, Halifax, Barnsley and Huddersfield.

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Paul Cartwright, Pontefract Civic Society chair said: “We offer good wishes to all places on the routes for the Tour de Yorkshire.

“While we are disappointed that the town is not included, we know that Welcome to Yorkshire needs to be fair to others across the region whilst creating competitive routes for cyclists.

“Our volunteers are already working on Victory in Europe Day celebrations across a 10 day period, which focuses on the same period as Tour De Yorkshire so it's not so much of a loss.”

But the organisers are grateful for the support the race has received from the Wakefield district during the past five years.

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Nick Howes head of sports media said “The tour has always received a warm welcome from the Wakefield District in the past.

“Unfortunately, we can’t come back every year, we’d like as many different parts of Yorkshire to see to tour as possible.

“We would definitely like to come back to the Wakefield area in the near future, as the Tour de Yorkshire has always been well received there.”