DETAILS of the route for the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire have just been announced, with more than half the race taking place in North Yorkshire.

The third annual event will take place between Friday, April 28 and Sunday, April 30 next year, with North Yorkshire County Council working with event organisers to set up the route.

The first stage of the event will start in Bridlington and end in Scarborough, covering 173km - 110km of which will be in North Yorkshire - including Norton, Malton, Amotherby, Kirby Misperton, Pickering, Sleights, Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay.

Stage 2 begins in Tadcaster and ends in Harrogate, covering 123km, with 108km in North Yorkshire, taking in Knaresborough, Ripley, Pateley Bridge, Masham, West Tanfield, Ripon, Hampsthwaite and Harrogate.

The final stage begins in Bradford and ends in Fox Valley Sheffield, taking in Bolton Abbey, Burnsall, Linton, Skipton and Kildwick.

Sir Gary Verity said: "I can’t wait to see the world’s best riders tackling these routes. We’ve worked hard to design a course which showcases Yorkshire’s stunning scenery as well as delivering a thrilling sporting event.

"Last year the race attracted 2 million spectators and generated £60 million for the local economy, and we’ll go from strength to strength again next year."

Christian Prudhomme said: "I always enjoy coming to Yorkshire and the county certainly knows how to put on a show. I am excited by what this year’s route has in store and am sure it will provide three days of fantastic racing."

Councillor Carl Les, leader of NYCC, said: "Now with three years of experience of hosting world class cycling events in North Yorkshire, I have no doubt that the County Council will once again rise to the challenge and that the residents of North Yorkshire will once again embrace it.

"The race in 2017 will see even more of the route in the county – just over 50 per cent – with three starts and finishes and it will require considerable planning and expertise to ensure that it can take place in the least disruptive way, while giving all those thousands of people who will undoubtedly want to visit North Yorkshire to see it, the access they need."

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is excited by today’s announcement that the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire will start in Bridlington on Friday, 28 April and will take in a number of East Yorkshire settlements, including Driffield and Pocklington, on its way to the stage one finish in Scarborough.

Similar to the inaugural event in 2015, the race will start outside The Spa Bridlington in front of a large crowd, anticipated to be in the tens of thousands, before the riders leave the town passing the new £25 million East Riding Leisure Bridlington.

As well as the picturesque East Yorkshire scenery, the race will also pass the historic Burton Agnes Hall on its way to Driffield.

The peloton will ride through the centre of the town, known as the Capital of the Wolds, and head towards Pocklington for the race’s first intermediate sprint and then on to Garrowby Hill for the first categorised climb.

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said the authority was excited to welcome the Tour to Driffield and Pocklington for the first time.

He said: "Like previous years, the race will attract national and international publicity which provides an excellent opportunity to promote the East Riding as a first-class visitor destination to both domestic and global audiences.

"Through its three-year commercial partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire, the council is proud to have secured its long-term support for the Tour de Yorkshire which is rapidly becoming one of the most eagerly anticipated races on the cycling calendar."

Cllr Les said the event would bring "significant economic benefit to businesses" around the county, "from both the spectators and the television and media coverage that comes with the race".

He said: "I believe that we need to continue to make the most of these opportunities and I think that most people now recognise that the benefits far outweigh the small amount of disruption that hosting such a world class raise causes."

For more information on the tour and related road closures or traffic disruption, go to northyorks.gov.uk/tour