The routes of this year's Tour de Yorkshire sportive have been announced. The sportive, which takes place on 3 May alongside the final stage of the new Tour de Yorkshire pro race, will start and finish at Roundhay Park in Leeds. Riders can choose from 50km, 108km or 140km routes.
Organisers Human Race are expecting thousands will take part in the mass cycle ride. Already more than 10,000 people have pre-registered for a chance to enter the sportive, with only 4000 places available. Entries will open on 4 February.
The Tour de Yorkshire is a new UCI-approved international cycle race which will be held for the first time from 1-3 May 2015. It is set to be an annual three-day stage race and is expected to attract high profile cyclists and top international teams.
The new sportive will give amateur cyclists a chance to ride the same roads as the pros just hours before the final stage of the race. A women-only Cycletta sportive will also take place along the 50km route. Each of the routes will feature much of the Tour de Yorkshire route with a number of challenging climbs and spectacular Yorkshire views.
The routes
The sportive will be held on the final day of the Tour de Yorkshire, Sunday 3 May just hours before the pro race starts. After leaving Roundhay Park in Leeds those taking on the 140km long route will climb Pool Bank and head towards Sowerby Bridge. They will join the pro route at Mytholmroyd and up the 2014 Tour de France King of the Mountains Côte De Oxenhope Moor, which will be taken in the opposite direction, a real test of stamina with over 6.7 kilometres of near continuous climbing. Shortly after riders will travel through the quaint village of Howarth and over the cobble stones, one of the most iconic images of the Tour de France Grand Départ.
Riders will climb 150 metres from Laycock to Sutton-in-Craven, before reaching the villages of Addingham and Ilkley. Riders on the long and medium routes will take on the Cow and Calf Climb, before the East Chevin Climb, after which cyclists will need all their remaining energy to climb the short but very steep Black Hill Road. The Tour de Yorkshire Ride culminates back at Roundhay Park where cyclists will be presented with their medal.
Full route maps for each of the three distances, 140km, 108km and 50km, are available from the event website.
Pro tips
The event is being supported by five-time Tour de France winner, Bernard Hinault, who will be giving sportive riders tips. Participants in the sportive will cross the same finish line as the pro riders and a winners' ceremonies will take place on the Tour de Yorkshire podium.
Nick Rusling, chief executive of Human Race, the organisation delivering the event with partners ASO and Welcome to Yorkshire, said; "We have the ability to deliver something unique for thousands of cyclists on 3 May by combining the aura of the Tour de Yorkshire and Tour de France legacy in combination with the hospitality and stunning roads of Yorkshire. For sportive riders of all abilities - this will be an experience you won't forget."
How to enter
Demand for places in the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire Ride is expected to be extremely high and people are encouraged to pre-register at letouryorkshire.com/sportive. Entries will officially open on Wednesday 4 February.
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