ROADS in Ryedale will be closed on a rolling basis for the Tour de Yorkshire, it has been confirmed.

Stage 3 of the race, on Sunday, May 1, will see the riders departing Middlesbrough at 11.35am. The 198km stage will be heading up Sutton Bank at shortly after 1pm.

The riders will then pass Helmsley at about 1.20pm and Kirkbymoorside at about 1.35pm, then travel on to Whitby, finishing in Scarborough at about 4.25pm.

Most of the road closures throughout the stage will be rolling closures. Roads will be closed for about 20 to 30 minutes before the race, reopening as soon as the race has passed. The last race vehicle will be clearly identified.

However, some longer closures will be needed at key points along the route:

  • A170 Sutton Bank - the race route will be closed between from the east of Sutton under Whitestonecliffe to the Sutton Bank visitor centre from 10am to 4pm. For through traffic, a signed diversion will be in place via the caravan route. All fixed closures on Sutton Bank relate to motor vehicles only. Pedestrian and cycling access will be maintained until the police race escort arrives. No pedestrian or cycling access is allowed during the rolling road closure.
  • A170 eastbound Sutton Bank to Duncombe Park - throughout the day traffic will still be able to head towards Duncombe Park from Sutton Bank visitor centre except during rolling road closures between 12.30pm and 2pm. We aim to reopen the road completely by 4pm.
  • A170 westbound Duncombe Park to Sutton Bank - traffic will be able to head west from Duncombe Park to Sutton Bank visitor centre to access event car parking until noon. Westbound access will not be permitted between noon and 2pm. From 2pm until 4pm there will be local access only from Duncombe Park to Sutton Bank. We aim to have the road open by 4pm.
  • A170 eastbound Thirsk to Sutton Bank - local access from Thirsk to Sutton under Whitestonecliffe will be allowed from 10am to 11.30am. From 11.30am until after the race has passed at about 2pm eastbound access from Thirsk to Sutton under Whitestonecliffe will not be allowed. After the race has passed, there will be local access from Thirsk to Sutton under Whitestonecliffe until 4pm, when we aim to completely reopen the road.
  • A170 westbound Sutton Bank to Thirsk - traffic will be able to head towards Thirsk from Sutton under Whitestonecliffe until the rolling road closures are in place from about 12.30pm to 2pm. After the race has passed until 4pm traffic will be able to head towards Thirsk from Sutton under Whitestonecliffe. By 4pm we aim to have the road completely reopen.

Closures may be lengthened for safety reasons on the day.

The council say that safety for riders and spectators is paramount, so vehicles should not be parked on the race route. Details of car parking arrangements are available at northyorks.gov.uk/tour.

Big screens from which to watch the race will be in place at Sutton Bank Visitor Centre and at the Moors National Park Centre, Danby.

County Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said: "This is a fantastic event which builds on last year’s Tour de Yorkshire, and once again the benefits to North Yorkshire will be enormous, both in the immediate term and the longer term.

"We want to make sure that everything is in place to make it a huge success and ensure the race passes off smoothly for everyone – the competitors, the spectators, and all other residents and highways users.

"We are doing all we can to make sure that it is successful and that as far as possible disruption for everyone who needs to use our roads over the weekend of the 29 April to 1 May is kept to a minimum.” 

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, added: "The Tour de Yorkshire will showcase Yorkshire’s stunning scenery and deliver an excellent sporting event that will bring the whole of the county together.

“Once again, North Yorkshire County Council has thoroughly embraced the opportunity of hosting a world class cycling race on its roads and will play an important part in keeping both the riders and spectators safe along the route."