5 days ago
Yorkshire cycling fans celebrate Women's Tour of Britain start
Cycling fans in Yorkshire have spoken of their excitement as the Women's Tour of Britain got under way in the one of the four-day event began on Thursday at Dalby Forest in the North York Moors National Park, with the race then set to continue into the north-east of England and into Scotland. The start of the Women's Tour has come just over six years after the final edition of the Tour de Yorkshire was held - an event founded in the wake of the 2014 Tour de France, which famously held its opening stages in the county. Attending the opening day, spectator Lynne Gay said she wanted to see "a lot more" races come to Yorkshire in the future.
Ms Gay said: "I was born into a cycling family. I've raced myself and I've followed cycling all my life, so we love being here and enjoying the atmosphere."I just wish it had stayed in the area a bit more and maybe gone to Scarborough. "We don't get much cycling in Yorkshire now the Tour de Yorkshire is gone, but I suppose we've got to be grateful we've got this."Meanwhile, Mark, a cyclist from Pickering, North Yorkshire, said: "I think it's so exciting seeing the scale of it."I think it just gets people into cycling. They think, 'I could get out and do that'."It brings excitement to the area."
The picturesque North York Moors backdrop to the first stage of the race also proved to be a source of pride for the Maddie Leach said: "It's great. Just to get the exposure out to the young girls and children watching is exciting. "To show the World Tour the roads we train and race on, too. They may not enjoy it, but it's Yorkshire and it's beautiful."
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