The first ever Tour de Yorkshire will go through Huddersfield and Calderdale – and part of it in the Calder Valley is a reverse route of last July’s Tour de France.

The race will be shown live on television in the UK and across Europe and a huge television audience is expected which will be a massive promotional boost to the county.

The race will take place in 100 days time on the May 1, 2 and 3 – and it will be on Sunday, May 3, when it reaches us.

The day will see the peloton make a return to some of the roads raced in the 2014 Yorkshire Grand Départ of the Tour de France.

On May 3 the final stage will start in Wakefield with the riders going south to Barnsley before heading from Cawthorne along the A635 through Upper Cumberworth and then crossing Lane Head Lane in Shepley to continue on the A635 Penistone Road to New Mill.

The route then goes on New Mill Road to Holmfirth before continuing on Greenfield Road near Upperthong and then on Thick Hollins Road through Meltham and then on the B6107 Slaithwaite Road to Marsden before going on Manchester Road to Slaithwaite and along Station Road through the village before the steep narrow climb up Clough Road (Scapegoat Hill) and along Quebec Road to come out on New Hey Road near Pole Moor and Scammonden.

The riders will then go on New Hey Road to Buckstones Edge before a sharp right turn down the B6114 Saddleworth Road into Barkisland and down into Ripponden before climbing up the Rochdale Road to Cragg Vale. Iconic Cragg Vale – which in the Tour de France was the country’s longest continual climb and now becomes the longest continual descent.

Stage 3 of the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire 2015

The riders will then make their way to Hebden Bridge, Oxenhope and through the famous cobbled streets of Haworth, one of the most iconic images of the Tour de France in Yorkshire. The race will eventually finish at Roundhay Park in Leeds.

The inaugural Tour de Yorkshire route takes in places predominantly in areas which missed out on the Tour de France as it passed through Yorkshire.

Thierry Gouvenou, Tour de France’s Sports Director, who designed the race route, said; “Yorkshire offers so much with its huge variety of landscapes. For this first edition we have three quite different stages, each with their own challenges and, seen as a whole, a very exciting addition to European racing. This first edition will suit a strong all-rounder rider. In the following years we will change the routes, taking in new places and offering something new each time”.

Brian Robinson from Mirfieldthe first British man to win a stage of the Tour de France – and Team Sky pro rider Ben Swift were in Bridlington to unveil the Yorkshire race’s route which is a direct legacy of the 2014 Yorkshire Grand Départ.

Ben Swift (R) with cycling legend Brian Robinson from Mirfield

It will include a women’s event on May 2, a mass participation sportive on May 3 and a cultural festival.

Stage one on Friday, May 1 will start in Bridlington and end 174km later further up the coast in Scarborough. The riders, from all over the world, will pass through spectacular coastal scenery and the iconic North York Moors landscapes.

The route will take in Flamborough Head and the North York Moors National Park, through Dalby Forest and towards Pickering. They’ll then take a spectacular journey back to the coast at Whitby and then south to Robin Hood’s Bay with the ultimate race to the finish line on the seafront at Scarborough. The last section of this stage will be particularly tough, especially the climb out of Robin Hood’s Bay, which is 1.5km long and has an average gradient of 10.3%.

Stage two on Saturday, May 2 is one for the sprinters and will see the race start outside Selby Abbey. The route takes in much of the Wolds towards Market Weighton, through North Newbald and on to Beverley where they will turn north to Malton, then on to Stamford Bridge. Spectators will have the chance to see a circuit of York and organisers are hoping for a dramatic finish in the city.

Full route

As part of the legacy of the Tour de France to get more women cycling there will also be a dedicated women’s event on a circuit through York.

The race is being organised by Welcome to Yorkshire and Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), with support from British Cycling and local authorities throughout the county.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said; “Before the Grand Départ had even finished people all across Yorkshire were asking when we can have more cycling! The Tour de Yorkshire will bring back many of the world’s top cycling teams and there will be an opportunity for ordinary people to ride the same roads on the same day in the sportive. And this is a free event to watch so there is an opportunity for everyone in the county to be part of Tour de Yorkshire in one way or another.”

Welcome to Yorkshire is also organising a month long Tour de Yorkshire Festival to showcase the country’s rich and diverse cultural offering. The Yorkshire Festival, which accompanied the Tour de France Grand Depart, will be held in 2016.

The Tour de Yorkshire will be annual event and the organiser hope it will grow year on year to be one of the biggest events in the cycling calendar and position Yorkshire as the heartland of cycling in Europe.