The Tour de Yorkshire, which was on 1-3 May 2015 was a huge success! More than 1 million people turned out to cheer the riders. On day one the route went from Bridlington to Scarborough, day two they rode from Selby to York and the third and final day was from Wakefield all the way to Leeds where they had a few steep climbs including the Cow and Calf in Ilkley.
Biking is certainly in fashion at the moment! On the 20th and 21st of June, Harrogate will be hosting a Bike Bike Bash to mark the anniversary of the Tour de France. Everyone one is invited to celebrate and join in with the fun.
There will be an Event village, located on the Stray right next to the finishing line, it opens at 4pm on Saturday and closes at 4.30pm on the Sunday. Cycling is the theme, obviously, and there will be food and drink, exhibitors, circus skills workshop, street performers, bike stunt displays and live music!
The star race of the weekend is a small fast paced circuit on a loop in the centre of town. The top of the loop is on West Park then down to Montpellier and back up Parliament Street and across the Tour de France finish line. Here is a link to the route
On Saturday the races start at 6pm, 7pm and 8.30pm. The event finishes at 10.30pm. These Criterion Races, with riders from Elite teams from around the country, are not about who finishes first, but about who does the most laps, so you can see them go by a few times.
The timetable is subject to change, but we understand the timings to be as follows:
18:00 – Support Race – (2nd / 3rd / 4th Cat – 100 riders) - (45mins)
19:00 - Women’s Race – (2nd / 3rd / 4th Cats – 100 riders) - (50 mins + 3 laps)
20:30 - Men’s Elite Race – (Elite, 1st / 2nd / 3rd Cats – 100 riders) – (1 hour + 5 laps)
21:50 – Race Presentations
22:00 – Race Closed
Register here – entries close 7th June 2015 – free to enter
There will be several crossing points which will close during the race, but if the pelotons stay close together, it may be possible to cross.
Before the races, the public can ride the course. Families can do the circuit between 4 – 4.30pm and experienced riders can ride between 4.45-5.15pm. Registration can be done the day before, but places are limited.
All shops and town centre car parks will be open as usual during the event as the route has been designed for minimum impact on town centre traffic. The route is being closed between 4pm and 10.30pm. If you are in the Montpellier quarter once the main races start at 6pm, you may not be able to exit until 10.30pm – although we can think of worse places to spend a Saturday evening!
Parking restrictions will be in place during the event on the following roads: West Park Road, Montpellier Hill, Montpellier Road, Crescent Road and Parliament Street. Tower Street will also be restricted and stewards will be there to help with resident access.
There will be three organised rides on the Sunday, details are yet to be confirmed, but we understand that everyone (whatever your experience) will have the opportunity to have a go. Throughout the day you will have the opportunity to chat to other cycling enthusiasts, join a cycling club or group, get advice or just get some exercise.
Please note that we've just been informed that the Sunday rides are now full.
So, if you like cycling in any way, don’t miss out on this great weekend!
