Full routes and race schedule for Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships announced

PRESS RELEASED ISSUED BY YORKSHIRE 2019 LTD

The full routes and race schedule for the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road World Championships have been officially unveiled in Innsbruck (Austria).

The racing starts on Saturday 21^st 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 29^th September with Individual Time Trials and Road Races for Junior (Under 18), Under 23 and Elite male and female riders.

Harrogate will serve as the destination town for every race, with start locations across the county to ensure the Championships reach as many people as possible.

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)

Full details of every route can be found in the accompanying press kit which can be downloaded along with all route maps/profiles and films here: https://yorkshire.app.box.com/v/Yorkshire2019PressPack

Photographs from the press conference will also be made available for download there in due course (please credit photographs to SWPix.com).

The 2018 Championships are currently taking place in Innsbruck-Tirol and Welcome to Yorkshire Chief Executive Sir Gary Verity DL led a packed presentation of the Yorkshire 2019 event on Wednesday evening. 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 to deliver a truly world-class event. A further £15 million has been allocated to develop entry-level cycling facilities across England. This commitment means that the 2019 UCI Road World Championships will deliver a legacy that will transform the sporting fabric of the country.

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.”

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said: “We are delighted that the news has now been announced that the 2019 UCI Road World Championships will be coming to Leeds and especially that the men’s road race will start in the city centre. Anyone who experienced the unforgettable Tour de France Grand Départ in 2014 knows that this will be another ‘must-see’ event to mark on the calendar for next year.

“Seeing the world’s best cyclists compete on our roads with the route lined with people cheering them on promises to be another brilliant event, and as we know from what happened after the Tour de France, it will further inspire more people to get out on bikes in Leeds taking advantage of the significant investment in cycling infrastructure which continues to develop as a real and lasting legacy to events like these.”

Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport said: “This event is going to be one of the highlights of 2019 as the best cyclists in the world go head to head on Yorkshire's stunning rolling hills. It is fantastic that inclusivity is at the heart of these Championships with a day of world-class para-cycling and the new Team Time Trial Mixed Relay event introduced. We want to encourage everybody to get involved in sport and events such as this can inspire many people to do just that."

British Cycling CEO Julie Harrington said: “We believe that cycling has the ability to take on some of the biggest challenges facing our society, and the legacy and inspiration that we can harness from next year’s Championships in Yorkshire is another vital step on our journey to transform Britain into a great cycling nation.

“We’re determined to ensure that the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire doesn’t just change the lives of those collecting a rainbow jersey, but the lives of the children, families and everyone who discovers – or rediscovers – the simple pleasure of riding a bike as a result.”

UK Sport CEO Liz Nicholl said: “Planning for the 2019 UCI Road World Championships is now well underway and it’s fantastic to see the routes and race schedule revealed, with para-cycling playing a prominent role. Thanks to investment from the Government and the National Lottery, I am confident that Yorkshire will host an inspirational World Championships the whole nation can be proud of. The event will further enhance the UK’s reputation as world-leading host of international sporting events and the routes schedule announcement is another exciting step on the road to the World Championships.”

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

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Yorkshire 2019 Ltd is responsible for the delivery of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

The company was incorporated by UK Sport as its subsidiary in November 2016 and it has entered into an event organisation agreement with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

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).

The event will be funded principally through DCMS and UK Sport, whilst also receiving support from British Cycling and the Local Authorities selected to host the event.

For further information please contact:

Nick Howes – Press Manager

Email: nick.howes@yorkshire2019.co.uk

Direct: +44 (0)113 322 3505

Mobile: +44 (0)7590 96482

Charlie Dewhirst – Head of Communications

Email: charlie.dewhirst@yorkshire2019.co.uk

Mobile: +44 (0)7775 707703