RESIDENTS have been urged to plan ahead for this year’s Tour de Yorkshire race.

The event, which this year will see every stage pass through North Yorkshire, runs between May 2 and 5, with the first stage starting in Doncaster and finishing in Selby, after passing through Elvington, Wheldrake and Escrick.

The A19 near Escrick will be closed to traffic when the race passes through the area, and no parking will be allowed on the race route during the race period.

Rolling road closures will be in place for most of the race route, managed by the police, with traffic stopped between 10 and 30 minutes ahead of the first cyclist, and reopening after the race - the last vehicle in the race group will be a lorry with screens on both sides, advising the public that the roads are reopen.

Several roads in Selby, including Leeds Road, Doncaster Road, Park Street and The Crescent will be closed for a slightly longer period than other highways on the route, from about 4pm to 6.15pm, and Gowthorpe, the finish point for the men’s race will be closed from 6am until 10pm for celebrations.

Bus services will continue to operate, but will be delayed by the race, and motorists are also advised to plan ahead and expect delays.

Bedale will host the men and women’s finishes on Friday, May 3, with riders expected to cross the finish line at Bedale between 12.30pm to 12.55pm for the women’s race and 5.47pm to 6.04pm for the men’s race

The first climb in North Yorkshire is Cote de Robin’s Hill, which the women’s race will hit at 11am and the men’s race at about 4.25pm.

The races will then pass through Harrogate, the centre of Ripon before heading to the stage finish in Bedale Market Place, which will be closed to traffic from 5am until 10pm.

On Friday, May 4, Scarborough will be the finish point for male and female riders, who will head from Bridlington to Scarborough via Sandsend, Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay, passing landmarks including Whitby Abbey.

The women’s race leaves Bridlington at 9.05am, passing into North Yorkshire at Hunmanby at 9.33am, with the men’s race leaving Bridlington at 2.30pm and reaching Hunmanby 2.55pm.

The female riders will reach Scarborough’s North Bay at about 12.45pm, with the men’s race due at North Bay by 5.35pm.

The final 182km stage of the men’s race starts in Halifax and travels 130km through North Yorkshire before ending in Leeds at about 5.15pm.

Cllr Don Mackenzie said voters would still be able to access polling stations around the region during the race, but urged everyone to plan ahead.

He said: “We ask people to remember to use their common sense when picking a place to view the race. Avoid waiting for the race on roads which are too narrow, or have no verge to stand on, and make sure our dry stone walls remain protected by avoiding climbing or sitting on them and please remember not to park on the race route. We urge people to be patient if necessary, check local road closures on our website and plan ahead.”

Full details of the route at letour.yorkshire.com/tour-de-yorkshire-2019/