GET SET FOR TOUR RETURN
Town chosen as start or finish location after council commits £140,000 to cover costs
Scarborough will once again host the Tour de Yorkshire.
After being a finish for this year’s inaugural race, the town has once again been chosen to welcome some of the world’s best riders.
Other host towns for 2016 are Beverley, Doncaster, Middlesbrough, Otley and Settle.
The three-day men’s race will be held between Friday 29 April and Sunday 1 May. The women’s race will be held on Saturday 30 April.
Welcome to Yorkshire received 14 expressions of interest to host a Tour de Yorkshire start or finish in 2016 or 2017.
A small number of 2017 start and finish locations were confirmed last week, with Fox Valley (Sheffield), Halifax, Harrogate and Selby announced as hosts.
The inaugural Tour de Yorkshire was held in May this year and attracted one and a half million spectators and over six million global television viewers.
Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “From the first moments of the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire, everyone who was there knew it was something special. I’m delighted that we are able to bring the 2016 race to all four corners of Yorkshire. It is testa- ment to how much the county has taken the race to its heart that we have been oversubscribed for next year’s starts and finishes.
“The Tour de Yorkshire is an event in the cycling calendar that riders want to race in and we look forward to welcoming some of the world’s best riders back to Yorkshire next year.”
Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France at the ASO, said: “Yorkshire is so perfectly suited to international racing and the landscapes create wonderful chances for riders to shine.
“Many of the teams and riders said that the Tour de Yorkshire reminds them of the Tour de France’s Grand Départ, with the routes, crowds and atmosphere once again combining to create a very special race”.
The full 2016 race route will be announced in December 2015 .
Scarborough Council will pay £140,000 in costs to be a host town following a vote held last month. Scarborough Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism has welcomed the news that the Tour de Yorkshire will return to the town next year. Cllr Andrew Backhouse said it was great news for the borough. He said: “It is fantastic that we have been considered and chosen for the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire. “We know the benefits the race can bring, we saw it this year with the crowds that turned out and we will get packages in place to allow us to make the best of the opportunities the race will bring.” It looks like the stage will be between Scarborough and Middlesbrough. As a keen cyclist Mr Backhouse said there are plenty of interesting routes the organisers could choose. He said: “There could be a nice trip through the Esk Valley, up the coast, or even through Pickering.”