Tour de Yorkshire 2017: Race update

Bad news if you're a Max Walscheid fan, Team Sunweb have said he won't be racing today:

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

This year's Tour de Yorkshirestarts and finishes on the coast, winding its way through the North York Moors, taking in three climbs between the seaside towns of Bridlington and Scarborough. 

The hilly nature of the race makes it a tough day to call. 

British national road race champion Adam Blythe reckons "a mass sprint looks unlikely" which rules him out of winning.

Image source, Getty Images

You can expect a few riders to break clear of the main bunch, the "peloton", early on as they make an unlikely bid for stage glory. The riders will be "allowed" to go clear by the peloton. 

The main reason is to help control the race for the favourites. The riders have more than 100 miles to race and don't want a high pace throughout, preferring to save energy for the latter stages. 

Expect riders from the lesser-known teams to get in the break – their key aim is to gain valuable exposure for their team's sponsors because the TV cameras will be on them all day.

Image source, Getty Images

Many teams have a "protected" rider and he will be allowed to conserve energy in the shelter of the peloton, with the hope they have the legs to contest the finish in Scarborough. 

The peloton will work together to reel in the breakaway inside the final 30 miles, with the aim of catching them in the closing five miles to set up a dramatic finish on the sea front. 

Of course, it's a race and could see any number of outcomes. 

Last year's finish saw Thomas Voeckler win after a sprint against Team Sky's Nicolas Roche after they broke clear of the main bunch on the descent into Scarborough.

Andy Marsters
BBC Local Live

Not long to go now!

People are lining the route of the Tour de Yorkshire eager to get a glimpse of the action.

They aren't just waiting though, there's lots of entertainment on offer:

Andy Comfort
BBC Radio Humberside

I'm a big cycling fan so I've been excited about today for a while.

I'm travelling in the lead car, just ahead of the riders, reporting on all the latest news from the race.

Not sure whether they should have given me the key though, that's a lot of trust!

Andy Marsters
BBC Local Live

The final preparations for the Tour de Yorkshire cycle extravaganza are being made across towns in East and North Yorkshire.

Look who's turned up in Bridlington now: the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu:

Tour cyclists are due to pass through Bishop Wilton a little later, just before one of the hill climbs at the Cote de Garrowby Hill. Local residents have got their stall out there already:

And near Masham in North Yorkshire, children from Kell Bank Primary have created this piece of land art to mark the event:

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Not long to go now until we're off, so which riders should we be looking out for this weekend?

Image source, Getty Images

Here are a few to keep tabs on:  

France's Thomas Voeckler has been an attacking rider throughout his career and that aggression took him to victory in the race last year. 

As defending champion, he'll wear the number one. The 37-year-old is in his final year as a professional and will he fancy one last day in the sun? 

Image source, Getty Images

England’s Ian Stannard and Welshman Luke Rowe lead the Team Sky challenge. 

Both are coming off the back of racing in some of the toughest one-day races around northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Sheffield's Adam Blythe is the British national road race champion and will be wearing a distinctive red, white and blue jersey. He is more of a sprinter and says he'll be targeting Saturday’s finish in Harrogate.  

Blythe's Aqua Blue Sport team-mate Lars Petter Nordhaug won the inaugural race in 2015 as a Team Sky rider. Will he want to show them what they are missing?

Andy Marsters
BBC Local Live

Sound the klaxon! We're in the final hour before this year's Tour de Yorkshire cyclists set off from Bridlington on their roundabout route to Scarborough.

The crowd is certainly getting whipped up in a frenzy at the start line - with a robot, a monster and a town cryer on hand to keep the noise levels high.

I think they'll be even louder when the cyclists pass through, though!:

All of the expected timings for today's action in East and North Yorkshire can be found here.

Joshua Cook
BBC Radio Humberside

One of the most excited places on the Tour de Yorkshire 2017 route is Driffield in East Yorkshire.

Its the first time the race has gone through the town and local residents clearly can't wait.

Look at that bunting and all those blue and yellow bikes!

Andy Marsters
BBC Local Live

There's been some high praise for the people preparing to watch Stage One of the Tour de Yorkshire today.

The Tour de France team help to organise the event, and their race director, Christian Prudhomme, says Yorkshire spectators are the best in the sport: 

Andy Marsters
BBC Local Live

The official start of the Tour de Yorkshire might be at about 12:30, but there's more to the race than that.

The lengthy publicity caravan which travels ahead of the cyclists to drum up atmosphere in towns and villages is already on its way along the route.

Our man in Bridlington, Andy Comfort, has been watching:

David Burns
Presenter, BBC Radio Humberside

It's not all cycles and lycra at the Tour de Yorkshire, the spectators love to get involved as well.

Not quite sure what came over these two, but I hope the east coast wind doesn't pick up: 

David Burns
Presenter, BBC Radio Humberside

The atmosphere is building in Bridlington, with the Tour de Yorkshire's official start still a while away yet.

The race begins just after 12:30, but the crowd is certainly being entertained.

From big hippo heads...

...to aviators inspecting BBC microphones with their binoculars...

...things certainly are getting lively!

BBC Radio Humberside

The Tour de Yorkshire isn't just about watching top cyclists ride through the streets of the county.

It brings money into the area, and a lot of it. 

The leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Stephen Parnaby, told us why they wanted to host the start in Bridlington:

Laura Foster
Journalist, BBC Look North

We've had a great time watching the preparations for the start of the Tour in Bridlington this morning.

The start line is ready for the riders, we'd just better move out of the way...

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of tourism organisation Welcome to Yorkshire and director of the Tour de Yorkshire, has been given France's National Order of Merit.

Image source, Welcome to Yorkshire

It's in recognition of his work to bring the Grand Depart to Yorkshire in 2014 and the legacy he's created since with the Tour de Yorkshire. 

The medal was given to him at last night's official Tour de Yorkshire 2017 launch party at the National Railway Museum in York.

James Piekos
Reporter, BBC Hull and East Yorkshire

Only fair to give you a bit of a warning: If you live on the Tour de Yorkshire race route, external, you might want to move your car.

The owner of this one in Bridlington couldn't be found this morning, so it's being towed away:

In case you hadn't realised, the Tour de Yorkshire 2017 begins in Bridlington in just a few hours' time.

But how do you create a start line in a different location each day?  

The answer is below:  

Victoria Holland
Reporter, BBC Look North

You can taste the excitement in East and North Yorkshire today, with towns and villages along the route embracing the Tour de Yorkshire.

Many are envious of Bridlington, the seaside town hosting its second race start in three years.

So why there? I've been out to Bridlington to find out - and I asked Christian Prudhomme, the race director for the Tour de France who's helped organise this latest race, to explain more:

Today sees the start of the Tour de Yorkshire and there are just hours to go until the race kicks off from Bridlington Spa. 

The race officially starts at 12:35 in Bridlington, from there it heads to Pocklington, then climbs the Cote de Garrowby and Cote de Goathland.

After that, it's the coastline at Whitby, on to Robin Hood's Bay, and then the sprint finish around Scarborough headland.

Here are a few of the sights the cyclists will speed past:

Planning on a trip to see the Tour de Yorkshire today? Spectators are being warned that train routes will be "extremely busy" due to a 24-hour strike on Northern rail services.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union walked out at 00:01 over staffing for trains due to come into service in 2020. 

A spokesman for the company said it expected to operate more than 40% of its normal timetable, but very few trains will run outside 07:00 and 19:00.