Organisers of Yorkshire 2019 unveil race start and finish times

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY YORKSHIRE 2019 AND LEEDS CITY COUNCIL

With just under four months to go until the 2019 UCI Road World Championships, organisers Yorkshire 2019 have unveiled the highly anticipated race start and finish times.

Millions of spectators are expected to line the routes over the nine days of action, with the Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International taking place on Saturday 21^st September before the Championships themselves run between 22^nd-29^th September.

Timings have been calculated by anticipating the riders’ average speeds, but they are subject to change depending on variables such as wind speed, direction and how aggressively the athletes race. Individual rider/nation start times for the time trial events will be announced in the weeks before the Championships.

Leeds will host action on four of the days of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships, beginning on the afternoon of Saturday 21 September with Wetherby being a start location for the Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International. Wetherby will also be the place in Leeds to see the women’s junior road race as it comes through mid-morning on Friday 27 September.

The following day, Saturday 28 September, the Leeds focus will be on Guiseley and Otley as the elite women’s road race passes through shortly before midday. The final morning of the event, Sunday 29 September, will see all eyes on Leeds city centre as the elite men’s road race starts from Millennium Square at 8:40am before following a route to Otley and out of the city.

Yorkshire 2019 CEO Andy Hindley said: “It’s exciting to share these timings as spectators can now plan exactly where and when they want to watch the action.

“That opening weekend with the Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International and inaugural Team Time Trial Mixed Relay is going to start things off with a bang and we’re also arranging a host of family friendly activities across those two days that will be appealing to spectators old and young.

“Once those are done and dusted it’s on to the longest-standing races on the programme – the individual time trials and road race events. Those always prove spectacular occasions with really dramatic racing. We can’t wait for this global celebration of cycling to commence and we look forward to making more exciting announcements in the months to come.”

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:

“Following the success of the recent Tour de Yorkshire, the excitement is now starting to build for the 2019 UCI Road World Championships with the race timings being released. Leeds will host racing on four days of the event, giving people the chance to see the best riders in the world competing on our roads as they bid to become world champion.

“The 2019 UCI Road World Championships will be the finale of an incredible year for Leeds as a host venue, with the World Triathlon Series Leeds, the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes Test match all to come as Leeds is further showcased to the world as a major international sporting city.”

The full schedule and race timings can be viewed online at yorkshire2019.co.uk/timings

In summary:

Saturday 21^st September – Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International

This celebration of para-cycling includes 14 different race classifications for male and female riders in four para-cycling disciplines. Riders with the greatest functional capacity (B Men, C4-5 Men and B Women) will set off from Beverley between 12:00pm and 12:06pm with the aim of finishing in Harrogate between 2:14pm and 3:05pm. Tadcaster will host the starts of the C1-3, H3, H4 and H5 events for the men and the C4-5 and H5 events for the women between 2:00pm – 2:15pm. These are due to finish in Harrogate between 3:24pm – 4:25pm. Finally, Wetherby is the start location for the H1-2 and T1-2 men’s races, and the C1-3, H1-4 and T1-2 women’s races between 3:00pm and 3:12pm. These conclude in Harrogate between 4:09pm – 5:24pm.

Fans in Harrogate will also be able to watch the Team Time Trial Mixed Relay training on the Championships circuit between 9:00am and 11:00am.

Sunday 22^nd September – Team Time Trial Mixed Relay – Harrogate Circuit

Yorkshire will be making history by hosting the first-ever Team Time Trial Mixed Relay with national teams consisting of male and female riders. The first nation will roll down the start ramp at 12:40pm, with the final nation set to complete their ride at approximately 3:27pm.

Before the Team Time Trial Mixed Relay takes place, fans will also be able to watch thousands of amateur riders take part in the Official Sportive on the same Harrogate circuit between 7:00am – 10:30am.

Monday 23^rd September – Women Junior Individual Time Trial and Men Junior Individual Time Trial – Harrogate Circuit

The first female rider will get going at 10:10am and once the last of them has finished at approximately 11:22am, the men’s competition will take place between 1:40pm – 4:02pm.

Tuesday 24^th September – Women Elite Individual Time Trial and Men U23 Individual Time Trial – Ripon to Harrogate

The first male rider will set off at 10:10am and that competition is due to be completed by 12:34pm before the women start at 2:40pm. That contest is due to conclude at around 4:45pm.

Wednesday 25^th September – Men Elite Individual Time Trial – Northallerton to Harrogate

Fans will be able to cheer the first rider off at 1:10pm before the action concludes at approximately 4:04pm. That morning, supporters in Harrogate will also be able to watch the road race training taking place on the Harrogate circuit between 10:00am – 12:00pm.

Thursday 26^th September – Men Junior Road Race – Richmond to Harrogate

After starting in Richmond at 12:10pm the race heads into the Dales and the first key climb is awaiting the riders at Kidstones at 1:12pm. The second major ascent then comes shortly after the peloton have passed Bolton Abbey at 2:00pm, and the action should hit the Harrogate circuit at 2:36pm. After three laps of that, the race should conclude on Parliament Street at 3:33pm.

Friday 27^th September – Women Junior Road Race and Men U23 Road Race – Doncaster to Harrogate

The women’s race exits Doncaster at 8:40am and the riders should reach Snaith by 9:30am. Tadcaster then appears at approximately 10:24am and the frontrunners should pass through Wetherby at 10:41am before they reach Harrogate for a hard-fought finale at 11:11am.

The men meanwhile, get going in Doncaster at 2:10pm and take a longer, more undulating route into Harrogate. They should reach Tadcaster at 3:50pm before passing through Ripon at 4:49pm. Pateley Bridge then makes an appearance at 5:17pm and as soon as the peloton has exited that town they will commence the main climb up to Greenhow. The riders are likely to reach the Harrogate circuit at 6:03pm and they will have to tackle three laps before the estimated finish at 7:06pm.

Saturday 28^th September – Women Elite Road Race – Bradford to Harrogate

The peloton will roll out of Bradford at 11:40am and sample the delights of Otely at 11:52pm before the first categorised ascent comes on Norwood Edge at 12:05pm. The race then continues to Pateley Bridge at and up the Nidderdale valley at 12:34pm. The climb of Lofthouse is awaiting them there and they should top that at 12:57pm before descending into Masham at 1:19pm. A relatively flat section should see them reach Ripon by 1:44pm before they pass onto the Harrogate circuit at 2:32pm. Three laps should then see the frontrunners emerge before a new world champion is crowned on Parliament Street at 3:42pm.

Sunday 29^th September – Men Elite Road Race – Leeds to Harrogate

The riders will exit Leeds at 8:40am and wind their way into the Dales via Ilkley (9:22am) and Skipton (9:42am). They are due to reach Kettlewell by 10:14am before a trio of significant climbs come one after another. Cray is first up at 10:27am and Buttertubs will be crested at approximately 11:16am before the reach the summit of Grinton Moor at 11:51am. Masham (12:23pm), Ripon (12:44pm) and Ripley (1:01pm) than follow in quick succession before the peloton enters the Harrogate circuit at 1:07pm. Seven laps of that tough and technical loop will ensure only the strongest survive for a chance to claim the iconic rainbow jersey on Parliament Street at approximately 3:21pm.

About the 2019 UCI Road World Championships:

The UCI Road World Championships have only been held in Great Britain on three previous occasions, the most recent of which was at Goodwood in 1982. The 2019 Championships will take place in Yorkshire between 22-29 September.

The celebrations will begin on Saturday 21 September when - for the very first time - a UCI-sanctioned, one-day international para-cycling event will take place alongside the Championships.

The Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International will act as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and welcome entries from every Paralympic road racing classification.

The Championships commence on the Sunday with the maiden Mixed Team Time Trial Relay and the programme continues through to Sunday 29 September with Individual Time Trials and Road Races for Junior (Under 18), Under 23 and Elite male and female riders.

Approximately 1,400 riders are set to compete from 190 countries and the action will be beamed to a global TV audience of over 250 million.

More information about the 2019 UCI Road World Championships can found at www.yorkshire2019.co.uk

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Charlie Dewhirst – Head of Communications

Email: charlie.dewhirst@yorkshire2019.co.uk

Mobile: +44 (0)7775 707703

Nick Howes – Press Manager

Email: nick.howes@yorkshire2019.co.uk

Direct: +44 (0)113 322 3505

Mobile: +44 (0)7590 96482