HUGE crowds lined the route as the second Tour de Yorkshire got underway.

Stage 1, on Friday, took the cyclists from Beverley to Settle via towns including Market Weighton and Tadcaster.

The race continues on Saturday and Sunday, with more large crowds expected.

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Sir Bradley Wiggins abandoned the opening stage, which was won by LottoNL-Jumbo's Dylan Groenewegen in Settle.

Wiggins, making one of his final appearances in a road race, climbed off his bike 26 kilometres from the finish of the 187km opening stage.

The 2012 Tour de France winner, who turned 36 on Thursday, did not give any interviews after the race and his team declined to give a reason for his withdrawal.

The stage, which had seen riders battle biting temperatures and howling headwinds in the Dales, ended in a bunch sprint as Groenewegen took victory from Orica-GreenEdge's Caleb Ewan, who found himself boxed in on the narrow finishing straight.

Team Dimension Data's Steve Cummings had attempted a late breakaway, attacking inside the final five kilometres, before being chased down by the peloton to set up the sprint finish.

Despite the poor weather, spectators were up early in East and North Yorkshire, to secure good vantage points.