Get dressed up for the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire

Sent on behalf of Welcome to Yorkshire:

The 2019 Tour de Yorkshire Best Dressed Competition - which honours communities and individuals that go the extra mile to celebrate the race - is now open for entries.

The competition – organised in partnership with the Yorkshire Post - has four categories: Best Dressed Village, Best Dressed Town, Best Dressed Host Location and Spirit of Le Tour.

The Best Dressed awards will be given to locations with the most spectacular, eye-catching decorations. The Spirit of Le Tour award will recognise an individual, community or business which has gone above and beyond to fully embrace the essence of the Tour de Yorkshire in a unique way.

Previous races have been celebrated with everything from spotty houses, dyed sheep, miles of handmade bunting, fantastic floral displays and incredible yarn bombing. We’ve even seen Tour de Yorkshire themed food like blue and yellow fish and chips, chocolate trophies, specially designed cakes and pies and even themed beers.

This year’s Tour de Yorkshire passes through 151 villages, towns and cities with images of our county set to be beamed to 190 countries across the world, showcasing Yorkshire at its very best to millions of people.

A new and improved online entry process has been launched this year, making it even easier to get involved. Full details of how to enter can be found at letouryorkshire.com/bestdressed

After the race - which runs from 2-5 May - a shortlist of the best entries will be drawn up by a panel of judges and the winner of each category will be presented with an exclusive commemorative plaque to display in their community.

Peter Dodd, Commercial Director, Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Every year we’re blown away by the creativity of people who pull out all the stops to decorate their home towns and villages to celebrate the Tour de Yorkshire - which is so much more than a bike race, it’s about bringing people together.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the way our communities get together to make sure their towns and villages look their very best as we showcase our glorious county to the world.

“We’re encouraging people to get their village, town or city fully decorated by Easter, to make sure they benefit during this peak tourism period just ahead of the race. I can’t wait to see all the wacky and wonderful ideas people will come up with this year.”

The Best Dressed Competition was launched in 2018 with Kippax (Best Dressed Village), Hornsea (Best Dressed Town) and Ilkley (Best Dressed Host Location) all emerging victorious. Samantha Whitley from Garforth was awarded the Spirit of Le Tour prize for her tireless work in the community.

Photographs to accompany the press release can be downloaded at https://yorkshire.box.com/v/BestDressedPhotos

Other ways to get involved in the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire:

There are plenty of other ways you can get involved with this year’s Tour de Yorkshire. Roadshows are currently being held across the county which provide information on how to make the most of the race. You can find the list of dates and locations at http://letouryorkshire.com/roadshows

Welcome to Yorkshire is also on the hunt for volunteer Tour Makers. These are a passionate and reliable team who will provide a warm welcome to the millions of fans who descend on the county during the four days of action. Being a Tour Maker offers a fantastic opportunity to be part of the race and more information on how to become one can be found at https://letouryorkshire.com/information/tour-makers/

Feeling fit? Then why not tackle parts of the 2019 route for yourself by taking part in the Tour de Yorkshire Ride sportive. The three routes on offer are suitable for all abilities and culminate on the same finish line as the pros. Find out more at https://letouryorkshire.com/tour-de-yorkshire-ride

And last but not least, the Tour de Yorkshire Land Art Competition has also been launched. Full details on how to enter that can be found at http://letouryorkshire.com/landart

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The Tour de Yorkshire was launched in 2015 as a legacy of the 2014 Grand Départ. It is organised by Welcome to Yorkshire and the Amaury Sport Organisation.

• The men’s race holds a 2.HC UCI Europe Tour classification.

• The Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race was awarded 2.1 status in 2016.

• 2.6 million spectators lined the route for the 2018 edition, up from 2.2 million in 2017.

• The 2018 edition was watched by 12.5 million TV viewers in 190 countries.

• The 2018 edition generated £98 million for the Yorkshire economy.

• The race is supported by Yorkshire Bank, Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries, Asda, LNER, Dimension Data, Le Coq Sportif, Mavic, Tissot, Named Sport, Mug Shot, Soreen, Gateley PLC, Sky Betting & Gaming, Black Sheep and Global.

The official Tour de Yorkshire website can be found at www.letouryorkshire.com

To apply to be considered as a Tour Maker visit http://letour.yorkshire.com/tour-makers

More information on Bike Libraries can be found at http://bikelibraries.yorkshire.com

For further information, contact:

Nick Howes – Head of Sports Media

Email: nhowes@yorkshire.com

Direct: 0113 322 3505

Mobile: 07590 964828