Tour de Yorkshire to debut in 2015

After the success of the 2014 Tour de France’s Grand Départ in Yorkshire, England, a new race called the Tour de Yorkshire will debut in 2015. ASO, the Tour de France organizers, have arranged a three-day, UCI 2.1-rated stage race for May that will take in some parts of Yorkshire included in the first two stages of the 2014 Tour and some that missed out.

Held over the May Bank Holiday from the 1st to the 3rd, the course will travel through Bridlington, Leeds, Scarborough, Selby, Wakefield and York. A gigantic sportif will be held on the final day for amateurs to enjoy some of the route, and a women’s-only sportif is in the works.

In a press release, ASO director Chris Prudhomme said, “I am delighted we are returning to Yorkshire where we saw the grandest ever Grand Départ for the Tour de France. It is clear the people of Yorkshire are passionate about cycling and we can’t wait to bring them this new race.”

The full details of the race won’t be released until January 21, 2015, but Cycling Weekly believes that the knee-breaking Rosedale Chimney in the North York Moors with its maximum gradient of 33% will be included. Hopefully, the delightfully named Buttertubs Pass will be involved.

Stage 1 of the 2014 Tour de France traveled 190.5-km from Leeds to Harrogate where German Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) prevailed. Stage 2 began in York and ambled 201-km to Sheffield where Vincenzo Nibali won and took the yellow jersey.