Route for 2016 Tour de Yorkshire announced

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The organisers of the Tour de Yorkshire have announced the route for the 2016 edition of the race. The three-day event will begin in the town of Beverly on April 29, and finish in Scarborough on May 1. It will also feature a one-day women’s race.

Over the three days, the riders will complete 515 kilometres and tackle 5,535 metres of climbing.

“For next year’s race we’ve selected routes which showcase Yorkshire’s stunning scenery and will also deliver an excellent sporting event,” said Welcome to Yorkshire Chief Executive Gary Verity.

“Our first race was phenomenally successful, bringing 1.5 million spectators to the roadside, generating over £50million for the regional economy and being broadcast around the world - not many races can say that. The stages we’ve revealed today are eagerly anticipated by fans, riders and teams and we have all the ingredients for another spectacular race which will bring the crowds back out.”

Day one will bring the riders 184 kilometres west from Beverly just south of York, taking in Tadcaster and on to Knaresborough before heading north towards the town of Settle. There will be two intermediate sprints plus one opportunity for the riders to snap up king of the mountain points on Greenhow Hill. There will be a chance for the peloton to study the finish line in Settle before covering a 12-kilometre loop.

Read more:

>> Results for 2015 men's Tour de Yorkshire

>> Results for 2015 women's Tour de Yorkshire

>> Tour de Yorkshire denied request to expand to four days

>> Tour de Yorkshire open dialogue with British Cycling over Worlds bid

The second day of racing will also see the women in action as they take on exactly the same 135.5-kilometre route at the men. Starting in Otley, the home town of newly crowned world champion Lizzie Armitstead, the race will ride south towards Conisbrough Castle and will finish in Doncaster in the southern reaches of the county.

The picturesque Conisbrough Castle will host the final of the day’s three KOM (or QOM) battles, with the other two coming in Harewood Bank and East Rigton. The women will set off first on this stage, with the men leaving in the early afternoon.

There’ll be a lengthy transfer for the riders travel nearly 100 miles from Doncaster to Middlesbrough for the start of stage 3. The organisers have saved the toughest until last with the final stage the longest at 196 kilometres and the hilliest with 2,593 metres of climbing over six ascents. This will mean that the race is anything but secure going into the last day. From Middlesbrough, the peloton will skirt around the North York Moors National Park until Kirkbymoorside before turning towards Whitby and then down to Scarborough for the finish in North Bay.

The Tour de Yorkshire was inaugurated last year off the back of a very successful Tour de France Grand Depart. Following last year’s edition, the organisers put in a request to expand to four days but that was rejected by British Cycling who said that it was too soon.

Lars Petter Nordhaug won last year’s race after claiming victory on the opening stage while Louse Mahé claimed the women’s event.