Tour de Yorkshire 2018 host towns revealed

The host towns for the start and finishes of the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire have been revealed today.

Next year’s race will stretch over four days rather than three.

The stages will start or end in:

Barnsley

Beverley

Doncaster

Halifax

Ilkley

Leeds

Richmond

Scarborough

The men’s race takes place between 3rd–6th May, while the women’s race is doubling in size from one to two days and will be held over 3rd-4th May.

A record 2.2 million spectators lined the route for this year’s race, generating £64 million for the Yorkshire economy. The action was also shown live on TV in 180 countries and attracted 9.7 million global TV viewers on Eurosport and ITV alone.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire is a true success story and in just three years it has grown to become one of the best attended and most dramatic races on the cycling calendar.

“Of course, with the men’s race being extended to four days and the women’s race now being held over two, it means we can visit more parts of the county and I know our eight start and finish locations will put on a real show.”

Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France at the A.S.O, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire has gone from strength to strength over the last three years and we are delighted to be working in partnership with such a great team at Welcome to Yorkshire.

“The way people get behind the race in Yorkshire is incredible and we are looking forward to another fantastic edition in 2018.”

Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of British Cycling, said: "Next year's Tour de Yorkshire is shaping up to be the best yet with more stages for the men's and women's races and, at British Cycling, we're looking forward to working with colleagues and partners across the county to use the inspiration of the world's best riders to get even more people on bikes."

The full 2018 route will be unveiled on Tuesday 5th December - this announcement will include exact start and finish locations and the distance and profile of each stage.