THE Yorkshire leg of the UK's premier cycling race will finish in the region's biggest forest, it was confirmed yesterday.
About 100 cyclists taking part in the Tour of Britain will ride about 50 miles between Hull and Dalby Forest, near Pickering, on Thursday September 11.
This is the first time the competition will finish a stage in woodland, with organisers claimin
g it will give a massive boost to the area.
Alan Eves, a spokesman for the Forestry Commission, which runs the 8,600-acre site, said: "We are used to seeing the Tour of France go through the wooded Ardennes region on the continent and it will be thrilling to see the British event snaking through equally dramatic forested scenery.
"We are simply overjoyed that Dalby has been selected for the crucial part. Not only will top riders be jostling for position, but it will offer a truly stunning spectacle and a chance for more people to get involved in cycling."
The riders will start near the Humber Bridge and go north to Scarborough before heading along a 12-mile stretch through the Forge Valley and Dalby Forest, entering the wood at the Bickley Gate entrance, near Hackness.
The finishing line will be opposite Dalby's new £2.3m visitor centre.
The 2008 Tour of Britain will take place over eight days, starting on September 7 in London and finishing on September 14 in Liverpool.
The Yorkshire section is the fifth of eight legs and more than 100 miles long, during which riders are expected to reach an average speed of 27 mph.
Public cycle and mountain bike events in Dalby to co-incide with the Tour are due to be announced in the summer.
The full article contains 292 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
