Tour of Britain: North Yorkshire stage route revealed

Brothers Charlie and Harry Tanfield from Great Ayton in North Yorkshire are among the114 riders due to take part in the race

North Yorkshire will be the setting for a stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race for the first time in 13 years.

Stage four, on 7 September, is due to start in Redcar and finish at Duncombe Park in Helmsley.

The 93-mile (150km) stage will also take in Whitby and the North York Moors National Park.

Organisers said the cancellation of the Tour de Yorkshire in recent years had provided an opportunity to bring their race back to the county.

North Yorkshire hosted the Tour de France Grand Départ in 2014, a variety of Tour de Yorkshire stages from 2015 and the UCI Road World Championships in 2019.

Peter Hodges, from The Tour of Britain, said local authorities could only support so many races and the absence of the regional contest "provided opportunities for other races".

He added: "It's not the longest of stages, but it's probably the hardest with more than 2,600 metres of climbing and it's up and down all day long, so it will be amazing."

Organisers said the stage is as an "unforgiving uphill route" on some of the county's most picturesque roads

North Yorkshire brothers Charlie and Harry Tanfield, who hail from Great Ayton, are due to be among the 114 riders taking part.

Harry won stage one of the Tour de Yorkshire in 2018, while Charlie is a cycling World Cup gold medalistmedallist.

Charlie said the pair had spent "countless hours" riding through the North York Moors and said he believed knowing "every bit of road and every single climb" would work to their advantage.

North Yorkshire County Council's Karl Battersby said the race would bring national and international TV coverage for the county.

The eight-stage event is due to begin in Aberdeen on 4 September and end on 11 September on the Isle of Wight.