Last year East Yorkshire hosted a stage of the tour for the first time and now it has been planned to return.
Although the exact route is still to be decided the planned race would see riders Starting in Sheffield then going Rotherham, Doncaster and finishing in Barnsley.
Many Yorkshire residents are excited about the race’s return, Avia Doll remembered her involvement with the Tours’ when it was known as the milk race “for me it brings back memories of my childhood and is a way of remembering my late dad.”
Whilst long time cyclist Mavis Evans believes that the tour of Britain is so great because it’s great to “See the professionals on local roads that you ride yourself and a great way to introduce the fantastic sport to new cycling fans.”
The race begins on September the 1st in Glasgow and the final stage of the tour finishes in London.
Barnsley Council have released a statement saying they intend to spend £130,000 to host the final stage which will help to improve the town’s “reputation.”
Further details about the proposed route of the race are expected in the coming weeks. But Barnsley council said “a large portion” of the race will be taking place in Barnsley on September 5th.
Sarah Heartfield owner of Sarah’s Yorkshire rides said “The tour returning is great for Yorkshire cycling, great for men and women riders and will definitely help out local business.”
The Tour of Britain began in 1945 where it was known as the Milk Race due a sponsorship 1958 which spanned 35 years. It is a multistage event which is free for all to attend, it is also widely televised.
Credit Creative Commons
In 2014 Yorkshire hosted the first stage of the Tour de France and since then the number of those taking up cycling has risen with 7.61 million Brits participating in some form of cycling in 2022 according to Statista.
The race’s visit also helped impact communities, according to UK Sport the tour resulted in over £100 million in economic benefit within Yorkshire.
Off the back of the success of the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire, the Tour de Yorkshire was created having the first Tour take place across three days. The races were widely popular but in 2020 the race was cancelled due to concerns over Covid-19.
In 2022 Manchester businessman Robin Scott purchased Welcome to Yorkshire which owned the rights and promised the tours return, however this is still yet to happen.