Yorkshire UCI 2019: Full route and schedule revealed

The countdown to the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships has begun. 

Harrogate will host the biggest event in the cycling season in 12 months time. Riders from all over the world will come to Yorkshire to compete for the iconic rainbow jersey. 

The full routes and race schedule have been officially unveiled tonight in Innsbruck, Austria. Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, made the announcement at this year's event. 

The racing starts on Saturday 21st September with Para-cycling events before the first UCI World Champions are crowned the following day with the maiden Team Time Trial Mixed Relay. This event will replace the separate men’s and women’s trade team time trials, and will be contested by national teams consisting of three male riders and three female riders. 

The male athletes will ride first and the women will replace them on the road as soon as the
second male rider has crossed the finish line. Final timings will be taken when the second female rider crosses the finish line, with the fastest team declared the winner.

The Yorkshire 2019 programme will continue through until Sunday 29th September with Individual Time Trials and Road Races for Junior (Under 18), Under 23 and Elite male and female riders.

Unlike the Tour de France which moves around different locations, Harrogate will serve as the final destination for every race, with start locations across the county. 

Most of the races will feature the 'Harrogate Circuit', an area of the town the riders will pass through before they can finish. In some of the races, riders will have to complete this circuit multiple times. 

The full race programme is as follows: 

Day 1:
Saturday 21 September: Beverley-Tadcaster-Wetherby-Harrogate Circuit – Para-cycling Road Races (C1 Event)  

Day 2:

Sunday 22 September: Harrogate Circuit–Team Time Trial Mixed Relay–28km (two circuits)

Day 3:

Monday 23 September: Harrogate Circuit–Women Junior Individual Time Trial–14km (one circuit) and Men Junior Individual Time Trial-28km (two circuits)

Day 4:

Tuesday 24 September: Ripon to Harrogate–Men Under 23 Individual Time Trial–32.5km (route plus one circuit) and Women Elite Individual Time Trial–32.5km (route plus one circuit)

Day 5:

Wednesday 25 September: Northallerton to Harrogate–Men Elite Individual Time Trial - 54km (route only)

Day 6:

Thursday 26 September: Richmond to Harrogate–Men Junior Road Race–144.5km (route plus three circuits)

Day 7:

Friday 27 September: Doncaster to Harrogate–Women Junior Road Race–91.5km (route only) and
Men Under 23 Road Race–192.5km (route plus three circuits)

Day 8:

Saturday 28 September: Bradford to Harrogate–Women Elite Road Race-149.5km (route plus three circuits)

Day 9:

Sunday 29 September: Leeds to Harrogate–Men Elite Road Race–284.5km (route plus seven circuits)

The 2018 Championships are currently taking place in Innsbruck and Welcome to
Yorkshire Chief Executive Sir Gary Verity DL led a packed presentation of the Yorkshire 2019 event.
He was joined on stage by UCI President David Lappartient, British Cycling CEO Julie Harrington, and Great Britain riders Alex Dowsett and Hayley Simmonds. Prime Minister Theresa May concluded the presentation via video message, lending the UK Government’s full support.

The Championships are receiving unprecedented financial backing with the UK Government and UK Sport committing £12 million. A further £15 million has been allocated to develop entry-level cycling facilities across England. 

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."

UCI President David Lappartient said:

"After the Tour de France Grand Départ in 2014 and the consequent creation of the legacy Tour de Yorkshire, this magnificent region has left us in no doubt that the 2019 UCI Road World Championships will be a memorable occasion.

"The competitions in Yorkshire will open with the new Team Time Trial Mixed Relay, a UCI initiative that will replace the trade team time trial and will see men and women competing together for their nation.
I cannot wait to witness this first-ever Team Time Trial Mixed Relay, which is part of the UCI’s drive to further increase the attractiveness of our Road World Championships, encourage gender equality, and showcase National Federations and their riders.

"In addition, the 2019 UCI Road World Championships will be taking place less than a year out from the Olympic Games, with riders seeking to earn precious qualification points for Tokyo 2020. This will add to the excitement of the racing on the roads of Yorkshire."

Yorkshire 2019 Chair Chris Pilling said:

"We have pledged to deliver an inclusive, innovative and inspiring UCI Road World Championships that brings the world closer. We are therefore enormously excited to be the first host to integrate Para-cycling into the programme and the first host to deliver the brand new Team Time Trial Mixed Relay.

"These races will help deliver on our pledge and will get the Championships off to a flying
start. Every day the riders will visit new places and encounter different challenges in what will
be an unforgettable festival of bike racing."

More details on the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships can be found at Yorkshire2019.co.uk

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