News: Tour de Yorkshire 2020

The full routes for the 2020 Tour de Yorkshire and Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race have been unveiled in Leeds.

News: Tour de Yorkshire 2020

The full routes for the 2020 Tour de Yorkshire and Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race have been unveiled in Leeds. Both routes are the toughest in the history of the race and feature more climbing than ever before, including the Côtes de Buttertubs and Grinton Moor – both making their first appearances since the 2014 Tour de France – and the return of the infamous Shibden Wall.

The sixth edition of the men’s race will take place between 30 April – 3 May and form part of the inaugural UCI ProSeries. Its new 2.Pro classification remains the highest-possible status for a multi-day race outside of the UCI WorldTour. It encompasses all four corners of the county and takes in 160 villages, towns and cities along the way. The Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race meanwhile, runs between 1-2 May and will once again offer equal prize money to the men, making it one of the most lucrative races in the sport.

Men’s parcour

Women’s parcour

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The Route

STAGE ONE MEN (176.5KM): THE YORKSHIRE COAST STAGE –
BEVERLEY TO REDCAR

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The men’s race gets going in Beverley on Thursday, April 30 and proceeds to Hornsea before following the coastline in a northerly direction. The first intermediate sprint will be contested in Flamborough, and Filey and Robin Hood’s Bay both make welcome returns before the first mountains classification points are up for grabs on the Côte de Hooks House Farm.

With those in the bag, a second intermediate sprint will take place at Whitby Abbey, and once the riders have passed through Sandsend they’ll be faced with the second climb of the day – the Côte de Lythe Bank. Any riders that fall off the pace on there will have to work hard to get themselves back into contention before the action reaches a gripping conclusion in Redcar – the most northerly location the Tour has ever visited.

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STAGE TWO MEN, STAGE ONE WOMEN (BOTH 124.5KM): THE THREE PEAKS STAGE –
SKIPTON TO LEYBURN

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The world’s top female riders join the action in Skipton on Friday (May 1) and start in the morning with the men following in the afternoon. Both routes are identical and feature two intermediate sprints in the opening 35km.

The first comes in Settle with the other following in Horton in Ribblesdale. The route then heads past the Three Peaks and Ribblehead Viaduct, and once the riders have exited Hawes, the Côte de Buttertubs will be immediately upon them. This rises to the highest point of the race and is one of two climbs that have not been visited since the 2014 Tour de France. The other is the Côte de Grinton Moor, and that fearsome double-header could see a few stragglers distanced before a fiercely contested finale in Leyburn.

STAGE THREE MEN (134KM), STAGE TWO WOMEN (114.5KM): THE HERITAGE STAGE
BARNSLEY TO HUDDERSFIELD

Men’s Profile – Click image for larger version

Women’s Profile – Click image for larger version

The riders will loop around Barnsley Town Hall on Saturday (May 2) before heading out of town and the pace is likely to ramp up for the first intermediate sprint in Oxspring. Penistone and Holmfirth then both feature before the first categorised climb comes on the Côte de Netherthong. The Côte de Scapegoat Hill is next up, and once that’s been crested the route continues towards Hebden Bridge.

Here the two routes split. The women will immediately tackle the Côte de Hebden Bridge while the men commence an 18.6km loop which takes them into Todmorden and up a brutal climb bearing the town’s name. They’ll then drop back into Hebden Bridge and re-join the women’s route before following it all the way to the finish.

The Côte de Leeming’s presence will prove taxing, but it’s the Côte de Shibden Wall where the fireworks are most likely to be seen. This cobbled behemoth strikes fear into all those who attempt it, and the fact it comes just 18km from the finish means it could prove a springboard for late attacks. Any sprinters still in contention will fancy their chances in the second intermediate sprint at Bank Top, but there’s only likely to be a select bunch of stars who’ll still be in contention when the race reaches Huddersfield. It is here that the winner of the Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race will be crowned before the male riders battle it out for stage success.

STAGE FOUR MEN (177.5KM): THE YORKSHIRE CLASSIC
HALIFAX TO LEEDS

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Halifax’s Piece Hall on Sunday, May 3 is a spectacular location for the start of this decisive stage for the men before they head into Brontë Country. Haworth’s quaint cobbled Main Street will feature prior to the opening intermediate sprint in Oakworth. The first of seven categorised climbs is then looming large, and the Côte de Goose Eye could catch a few riders unaware coming so early in the stage.

The action then returns to Skipton before the next climb comes on the Côte de Barden Moor. Once that has been scaled it’s on to Burnsall where the riders hit the Côte de Skyreholme. In Greenhow the route commences a 64km loop which includes the Côte de Lofthouse. Any stragglers that slip back on there will seek to regain parity on the subsequent descent into Masham, and then it’s back to Pateley Bridge before the riders head back up the Côte de Greenhow Hill.

A second intermediate sprint will be contested in Ilkley before the race hits the infamous Côte de Cow and Calf. The final climb will then be fought out on Otley Chevin and the race then sweeps into the outskirts of Leeds via Kirkstall Abbey. All the while the pace will be rising and the action promises to reach a rip-roaring conclusion once again along The Headrow.