Tour de Yorkshire 2019: When is it, where does it start and finish, road closures, how to watch and who's racing

Everything you need to know ahead of the fifth Tour de Yorkshire

Chris Froome will headline the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire‘s billing as he begins a new era under Team Ineos.

After a decade under Sky’s sponsorship, the team will officially become Ineos on 1 May, the day before the Tour de Yorkshire gets under way in Selby.

This will be the fifth Tour de Yorkshire, which spawned out of the huge success of the Tour de France’s visit to God’s own county in 2014.

This year will see another two-stage women’s race, which has been scheduled on the Friday and Saturday in the morning of the men’s race and will take on the same route.

The 2017 winner Lizzie Deignan, a Yorkshire favourite, is aiming to become the first person to win the race twice, while Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet will be back to defend the men’s title.

When is the Tour de Yorkshire?

The race begins on Thursday 2 May and finishes on Sunday 5 May. The women’s race begins on Friday 3 May and concludes on Saturday 4 May.

Where does the Tour de Yorkshire begin?

The men’s race begins in Selby, North Yorkshire, with the opening stage concluding in Doncaster.

Where does race finish?

The Tour de Yorkshire finishes in Leeds city centre on The Headrow.

Where can I watch the race? What TV channel is it on?

The roads of Yorkshire are the best place to watch the race, but if you can’t get there then it will also be broadcast live on ITV4.

Who is racing?

Chris Froome will represent the new Team Ineos, while other notable names include Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish and the German sprinter Marcel Kittel. Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas will meanwhile be riding at the Tour de Romandie.

The women’s race will feature home favourite Lizzie Deignan, who won the 2017 edition, as well as Dutch time trial world champion Annemiek van Vleuten.

Will there be road closures?

Yes – according to the Tour de Yorkshire website, most will be rolling road closures lasting no more than an hour, apart from the start and finish lines and some climbs where the road closures will be longer. There are some sections of the route that need to be closed for longer periods:

Stage 1: Howden, Beverley, Pocklington,

Stage 2: Ryhill, Pontefract, Castleford, Kippax, Garforth, Ripon, Harrogate.

Stage 3: Whitby.

Stage 4: Cross Hills, Skipton, Otley, Cookridge, West Park, Kirkstall.

What are the different stages of the race?

Stage 1 Doncaster to Selby, 1.05pm start, 182.5km.

Stage 2 Barnsley to Bedale, 2.25pm start, 132km.

Stage 3 Bridlington to Scarborough, 2.45pm start, 135km.

Stage 4 Halifax to Leeds, 12.35pm start, 182km.