Wakefield district welcomes return of the fifth Tour De Yorkshire

And it will be returning to the Wakefield district 2019.

Cyclists will ride through Pontefract and Castleford on Friday May 3.

The second stage of the men’s race, from Barnsley to Bedale, and stage 1 of the women’s race will pass through Ryhill, Winterset and head towards Nostell Priory, before heading along the B6428 into Purston Jaglin.

The riders ride through Featherstone towards Pontefract, travelling through Town End junction along the A645 and onto North Baileygate before following Monkhill Lane and Spittal Hardwick Lane into Airedale.

Once in Airedale, the cyclists will head to Redhill Drive, Queen’s Park Drive and Ferrybridge Road before arriving on Bridge Street, travelling over Lock Lane Bridge and out of the district towards Allerton Bywater.

Coun Jacquie Speight, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “I’m very pleased that we’re welcoming this fantastic sporting event back to our district.

“It generates a lot of interest and enthusiasm and is an excellent platform to showcase our area and encourage visitors into the area.

“I hope that once again hundreds of spectators will line the route and the Tour will be just as successful as in previous years, giving another huge boost to our district.”

The women’s race is expected to enter Ryhill at around 9am and leave Castleford at around 10am, based on an 8.30am start at Barnsley.

The men’s race is expected to enter Ryhill at around 2.30pm and leave Castleford at around 3.30pm, based on a 2pm start at Barnsley.

The Tour de Yorkshire race is organised by Welcome to Yorkshire and the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), in association with British Cycling.

The first Tour de Yorkshire took place in 2015. It forms part of the legacy of the historic Yorkshire Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2014.

Sir Gary Verity DL, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We’re blessed with such a diversity of landscapes here in Yorkshire to create such challenging and exciting routes and we wanted the parcours to reflect that, showcasing the county in all its glory. There’s something for everyone; the sprinters will get their chance to shine while the classics specialists and climbers will also have opportunities to make their mark.

“With the UCI Road World Championships also taking place in Yorkshire next year, we’re expecting our strongest-ever field.

“I’m also proud that we’re continuing to lead the way when it comes to promoting women’s cycling. Changing the start of the women’s race from Thursday to Friday should guarantee greater exposure and the routes for the two stages are now exactly the same as the men’s. That means there’s over 1,000m more cumulative climbing than last year and we’ll be in for some enthralling racing.”

Christian Prudhomme, ASO’s Tour de France Director, said: “Once again, the team at Welcome to Yorkshire have done a tremendous job in designing such a beautiful, challenging and varied route and I am looking forward to seeing how both races play out. .”

To keep up to date with all the latest information about the Tour de Yorkshire, and to find details of all four stages, visit www.letouryorkshire.com and more information will also be published at www.wakefield.gov.uk/tdy