Latest updates from Stage 2 of the Tour de Yorkshire on Friday 4 May 2018
Magnus Cort Nielsen is surprise winner of men's Stage 2
Megan Guarnier wins women's Stage 2 and the overall women's Tour de Yorkshire title
GB's Ben Swift gets his nose in front and gets three seconds and five points by scooping the sprint.
Patrick Bevin of BMC almost gets first - but has to be happy with second place.
There's still a small gap between this leading group and the peloton.
It's not much - but it appears enough at the moment.
The peloton have pushed hard and, despite a split, appear to have dragged back the lead group.
Dimension Data and Team Sky now have three riders in the front of the race.
They're well placed but the pace is telling.
Keep an eye out for this young upstart in the peloton today.
This was taken just before the start in Barnsley, a young lady leading out one of the Team Sky riders:
Image source, Tour de YorkshireA quick flash forward to the finish at the Cow and Calf in Ilkley, currently about 115km away, and we're getting reports of a stiff tail wind.
That should make that hellish climb to the finish line not quite as hellish as it might be:
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Riccardo Minali broke from the group to nudge himself over the line to pick up the King of the Mountain points on Blacker Hill.
Sky's Ian Stannard let him go and settled for second there.
If there's anything going to help slow the leading pack down, it's Cote de Blacker Hill.
The 1.6km ascent is an average of 5.8% incline.
The gap is dropping but then the peloton have to climb so it should stretch again.
There's a handful of riders who have made a move.
They're opening up time ahead of the peloton with 1:37 in their pocket.
The group includes GB rider Ben Swift.
Tom Airey
Reporter, BBC News Online
Tour de Yorkshire 2018: Barnsley to Ilkley
After a relatively flat Stage 1 with just the one classified climb, gradients are ramped up on the second day with king of the mountains points on offer three times.
The Barnsley section of the race features the first at Blacker Hill, with the steep incline and sharp bends likely to be an early challenge for riders as they ascend towards Hoyland.
An intermediate sprint follows relatively shortly in Swinton, with the race later moving from south to West Yorkshire and a second sprint in Scholes.
Two climbs feature at the closing stages of the route as it enters Wharfedale, with the first at Old Pool Bank and the second on the approach to the finish line at Ikley's Cow and Calf.
Image source, Tour de YorkshireThe riders are still tight with each other.
Lots of riders have had a little look about a breakaway but no-one has really fancied it.
The big teams are up at the front and are kicking on.
That's putting some pain in the peloton already.
Madison Genesis's Jonny McEvoy has just pushed out and immediately dropped back in.
It's been a fast and furious start from the moment the flag dropped.
We've seen teams jostling for positions and an early break, led by Karol Domagalski from One Pro Cycling and Madison Genesis man Jonny McEvoy.
There's not much in it.
What is it about a cycle race that makes a place look... well, just brilliant?
Still on their ceremonial start, here the riders go past the Town Hall in Barnsley:
Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport
Any rider with ambitions of winning the overall title needs to have a decent showing today because crucial seconds could be won and lost on the climb to the summit finish at the iconic Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor.
Belgium's Greg van Avermaet, who, you may recall, won the Olympic road race title at Rio 2016, loves terrain like today and is among the favourites.
As is Frenchman Jonathan Hivert finished third overall last year and has ambitions to climb a couple of steps on the podium. Keep an eye out for his Direct Energie team-mate Sylvain Chavanel.
The veteran is in the final year of his career, and like his countryman Thomas Voeckler, who won the the TdY in 2016, loves to attack.
And, of course, don't discount defending champion Serge Pauwels. His Dimension Data team could well be smarting after yesterday's failure to catch the break and put Mark Cavendish in a stage-winning position.
Image source, Getty ImagesVan Avermaet has spent most of the spring racing gruelling one-day races in northern Europe
The riders are off in Barnsley.
They've 149km in front of them and should knock it off in around three hours and 40 minutes.
Easy peasy eh....
Stand by your beds, it's almost that time again, the Stage 2 men's race is about to set off.
Barnsley's ready, are you?
Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport
A lumpy bumpy day, with barely any flat sections, will sap energy from the legs and the short, sharp climb to the finish at the Cow and Calf Rocks will favour the puncheurs.
These are the types of riders who can climb but are not super climbers - they thrive on ascents of 1-2km with steep gradients.
The stage could be set for a breakaway to succeed but the likelihood is that it will be reeled back in as the favourites for the overall race victory do battle on the climb to the finish.
Oli Constable
BBC Yorkshire Live
Celebrations continue at the Tour de Yorkshire start line in Barnsley as crowds wait for the men's race to start later this afternoon.
Here's some photos from amongst the amazing crowds outside the town hall:
"It was hard and steep at the finish - it seems like all the roads are hilly in Yorkshire," said Nacer Bouhanni shortly after clinching Stage Two in 2017.
The Frenchman, riding for Cofidis, prevailed after an untidy sprint to the finish of the 122.5km stage from Tadcaster to Harrogate caused by a flurry of late attacks.
It's going to be another steep finish today, with riders taking on Ilkley's Cow and Calf on the approach to the finish line.
Image source, Tour de YorkshireA strong two days saw British rider Dani Rowe finish second overall.
The Team GB cyclist picked up bonus points which, despite a third place finish today, saw her take silver behind American Megan Guarnier.
In third was Alena Amialiusik with the Canyon-SRAM Racing rider a total of 19 seconds behind the winner.
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Image source, Tour de Yorkshire