Tour of Britain set for Ryedale

9:31am Sunday 11th May 2008

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TEAMS of world class cyclists will speed though Ryedale as part of the Tour of Britain championships held later this year.

The contest, which is now in its fifth year, starts in London on September 7 and finishes in Liverpool just eight days later.

And the Yorkshire and Humber leg of the race will start in Hull and end at Dalby Forest near Pickering on September 11.

The spectacle will include 16 teams and will travel through the streets of Scarborough on the fifth stage of the contest before finishing at the Forestry Commission visitor centre.

Forestry Commission bosses are delighted that the 8,600 acre woodland will form part of the route for the event.

The regional leg will cover 100 miles, during which riders will notch up an average speed of around 27mph.

Alan Eves, forest management director, said: "We are used to seeing the Tour of France go through the wooded Ardennes region on the continent and it will be thrilling to see the British event snaking through equally dramatic forested scenery.

"We are simply overjoyed that Dalby has been selected for the crucial part of the Yorkshire and Humber section. Not only will top riders be jostling for position, but it will offer a truly stunning spectacle and a chance for more people to get involved in cycling."

Film crews will be tracking the event, which will be screened on ITV4 daily.

A spokesman for the race said: "The riders will face every kind of challenge that the UK's roads have to offer, from windswept coastal roads to steep narrow climbs and much more beyond."