The UCI Road World Championships will pass through Craven, it has been announced.

Two cycling races will come through the district - the Men’s Junior Road Race on Thursday September 26, and the Men’s Elite Road Race on Sunday September 29.

The Men’s Junior Road Race will travel from Richmond, through Leyburn and Aysgarth, and into Craven over Kidstones. It will then pass through Cray, Buckden, Starbotton, Kettlewell, Kilnsey and Threshfield before heading off through Burnsall, Barden and Bolton Abbey, then along the A59 towards Harrogate.

The Men’s Elite Road Race starts in Leeds and travels through Otley and Ilkley on the A65 before entering Skipton, via Otley Road, passing along Newmarket Street before travelling up Skipton High Street and up Grassington Road. It will follow the route of the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014, going up past Rylstone, Cracoe, Threshfield, Kilnsey, Kettlewell, Starbotton and Buckden before the cyclists go up over Kidstones and down into Wensleydale. 

Councillor Richard Foster, Leader of Craven District Council, said: “We’re delighted to have two races from this prestigious event passing through our district. It will be brilliant to see some of the best cyclists in the world taking on the Tour de France route again and I’m sure we can recreate the spirit of that memorable event.

“The Tour de France in 2014 and more recently the Tour de Yorkshire races in 2015, 2016 and 2017 have demonstrated what a fantastic place Craven is for such world-class events. This is another opportunity for us to showcase our district across the globe, attracting more tourists, businesses and families to experience our wonderful countryside and community.”

The full race programme will take place between September 21-29 and will be mainly based around Harrogate.

There will be rolling road closures during the races but exact timings of the races and road closures have yet to be released. Information regarding exact race timings, road closures and parking restrictions will be shared in April 2019. 

Yorkshire 2019 Ltd is responsible for the delivery of the Championships. The event will be funded principally through DCMS and UK Sport, whilst also receiving support from British Cycling and the start and finish host towns. The UK Government and UK Sport have committed £12 million to the event and a further £15 million has been allocated to develop entry-level cycling facilities across England, delivering a legacy that will transform the sporting fabric of the country.

The 2019 Championships were launched in Innsbruck-Tirol at the 2018 Championships this week.

Welcome to Yorkshire Chief Executive Sir Gary Verity DL said: “It is a great honour to be hosting the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. This will be the most inclusive and diverse Championships ever held and cement Yorkshire’s place as a world-class cycling destination.

“The countdown is now well and truly on and there will be many people in Yorkshire and across Britain who are looking forward to this iconic event.  We can promise huge, passionate crowds, stunning scenery and epic racing.

“We have worked hard with the UCI to design a challenging and spectacular range of routes which take in all four corners of the county. We are thrilled to be able to share these routes and are sure they will make for exciting racing.”

Yorkshire was awarded the right to host the 2019 Road Cycling World Championships in October 2016. The winning bid was made jointly by British Cycling, Welcome to Yorkshire, UK Sport and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

For more information on the UCI Road World Championships in Craven go to www.cravendc.gov.uk/uci

Full details on the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships can be found at http://Yorkshire2019.co.uk