Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Will Dani Rowe have the legs to battle it out with the sprinters in the race for the line?

I'm not sure with former world champion Amalie Dideriksen and Kirsten Wild having had quieter mornings, using less energy, in the comfort of the peloton.

Boels-Dolmans are on the front of the peloton, racing at just under 35km/h as they try to set up Dideriksen for the stage win.The Danish rider won the world title in 2016, when she was just 20 years old.

Wiggle High5's Wild is among the fastest sprinters and if she gets a decent look at the finish line, she will take some beating.

The lead has gone out to 100 seconds, which is why Boels-Dolmas are upping the pace. As a basic rule, it takes 10km to erase a one minute lead on flat roads, so plenty of time left with 37km to go.

The front pair are still out there - with a lead of around 1:20.

The peloton have picked up the pace - can they reel them in?

Image source, Press Association

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

With just under 50km remaining, it looks like this is nailed on for a bunch sprint. Our duo out front had 30 seconds trimmed off their lead in just a couple of kilometres when the peloton upped its pace for the intermediate sprint.

That extra second for Dani Rowe puts her into the virtual lead. She has now amassed four seconds which will be deducted from her time when she crosses the finish line.

If she wins today's stage, she will pick up another 10 bonus seconds. Second place will give her six bonus seconds. Add that to the four and she will be on the same time as the stage winner - and in that case, I believe the stage winner will take the overall race lead.

The riders are currently getting towards the outer reaches of East Yorkshire.

They'll shortly be dropping in to South Yorkshire.

Staff at the Dove House Hospice shop in Howden, which is on the Stage 1 route, are literally getting on their bike today.

The team are on an exercise bike and planning to cover the same distance as the women’s race. It's all to raise much needed funds for the charity.

Claire Spink is the first one on the bike.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

The second and final intermediate sprint of the day is not as hectic with just Anna Christian and Natalie van Gogh contesting the five points and three seconds up for grabs for first over.

Van Gogh eases over the line first, Christian gets three points and two seconds.

More than a minute behind them, the peloton is slightly more animated. Just two points and one second for the first over the line. Is Dani Rowe among them?

Yes!

Everyone seemed to misjudge where the sprint line was, apart from Rowe, who snaffles the bonus second.

Hornsea is looking very colourful this morning!

With under 70km to go, it's mid-morning snacktime for the riders. Lots of riders struggling to grasp bottles of energy-giving drinks from their roadside soigneurs - the helpers who make up all the bottles in the morning and put together food parcels.

If they do miss out, all is not lost because team cars follow the race and riders can drop back to pick up supplies but then of course, there's a bit of effort required to get back to the peloton.

Out front, we still have Britain's Anna Christian (Trek-Drops) and Dutch rider Natalie van Gogh (Pushing Dreams NL) setting the pace, just over one minute clear of the peloton.

Here's the picture:

The baristas in South Yorkshire are getting involved with Tour de Yorkshire celebrations!

Maybe the riders will get chance to grab one to go on their way through Doncaster...

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Dani Rowe is having a superb start to the race. Straight after winning a King of the Mountains point, she is at the front of the bunch for the first intermediate sprint and she zips over the line in first spot.

Why are intermediate sprints important?

Because as well as a race leader's jersey, there is one for the Queen of the Mountains and one for the rider who scores most points and points are awarded at intermediate sprints and the finish line.

So, Rowe picked up five points in that classification too. She also picked up three bonus seconds, which could prove crucial at the end of the stage but more on that after the second intermediate sprint has been contested in about 30km time.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

The first battle of this year's race is on the Cote de Baggaby Hill - a short climb of 1.9km with an average gradient of 4.6% - for the first Queen of the Mountains points.

Our leaders have their advantage slashed on the ascent but GB teenager Pfeiffer Georgi stomps on her pedals to be first over the top to pick up two points.

Will her breakaway partner pick up the other? No. The peloton swallows her up and Dani Rowe is second over the line.

An intermediate sprint coming up shortly...

Not the riders, but the route.

They've just topped the 1.9km climb at Cote de Baggaby Hill and it's now downhill before a long flat stretch to the finish line.

Image source, Welcome to Yorkshire

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

World champion Chantal Blaak is understandably among the favourites to take the overall title. She might not win today but look out for her on the climb to the Cow and Calf tomorrow - she will be easy to spot because as world champion she wears the rainbow band on her jersey.

The 28-year-old Dutchwoman is one of three riders from a strong Boels Dolmans team (the one Lizzie Deignan rides for when she's not pregnant) in with a shout of picking up honours over the next couple of days.

Megan Guarnier, 32, has won the US national road race three times and is another who could be in the mix for the overall title come Tuesday evening.

Amalie Dideriksen is just 21 and more likely to be in the expected bunch sprint later in Doncaster.

Italy's Marta Bastianelli, who won the world road race title in 2007, is another who has the pace to win today and at the age of 31 has experience on her side - as well as an excellent Ale Cipollini squad to help her!

Image source, Getty Images

The riders have just under 100km to go before they reach the line in Doncaster with the leaders just five seconds ahead of the peloton.

But, back in Beverley, there's two-wheeled fun of a different sort...

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

There has been a couple of crashes in the peloton. The first was a minor spill and both riders involved were soon back up and pedalling.

The second was slightly more unusual in that it was caused by one of the many motorbikes that lead and follow the race. They are experienced riders who help close off the roads, carry cameramen, and give time gaps to breakaway riders, among many other duties.

However, one clipped a cyclist leading to two riders towards the back of the peloton hitting the deck, hard.

Two riders have broken clear of the main bunch. British rider Pfeiffer Georgi, who is just 17 and rides for Team Jadan and Meike Uiterwijk Winkel of the Dutch Parkhotel Valkenberg team are almost one minute clear with 102km remaining.

There's been an early break from the group.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

In a race on British soil, there are too many to name all the home riders but some of the more recognisable names in the field include Hannah Barnes, Katie Archibald and Dani Rowe.

Barnes won the British national title in 2016 and the 24 year-old, who turns 25 tomorrow, is one of the favourites for today's expected bunch sprint finish in Doncaster.

Archibald is more renowned as a track rider and has won one Olympic and three world titles. However, she joined the Wiggle High5 ProCycling team for 2018 and is fast making a name for herself on the road.

Rowe also won one Olympic and three track titles, under her maiden name King, before switching to the road.

Image source, Reuters

The crowds of yellow and blue are gathering in Beverley to enjoy day one of the Tour de Yorkshire.

Last year, organisers decided to add an extra day to the tour which has attracted some big names from the cycling world.

Sir Gary Verity, Welcome To Yorkshire chief executive, said it was a very simple decision to make the race bigger and better.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Last year's women's Tour de Yorkshire champion Lizzie Deignan is not defending her title because she is pregnant.

The Yorkshire rider will also miss racing through her home town of Otley on stage two but she is with the ITV team as an expert summariser for the race.

She said before today's stage started that "sometimes it's nice to sit back and watch".

Image source, Getty Images