The four-day men's race will be held between May 3-6, the same weekend as the start of the Giro d'Italia in Israel. The women’s Asda Tour de Yorkshire will be for two days, May 3-4. The stages include a 132.5km from Beverley to Doncaster and 124km from Barnsley to Ilkley.
The Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women's Race once again offer one of the largest prize pots in the sport and is expected to attract the leading women in the peloton.
The fourth edition of the men’s Tour de Yorkshire race has expanded from three to four stages and again visits much of Yorkshire, with finishes in Doncaster, Ilkley, Scarborough and Leeds. Mark Cavendish attended the route presentation but it is unclear if he will ride the race.
The Tour de Yorkshire begins in the market town of Beverley and winds through the Yorkshire Worlds before finishing in Doncaster. The 182km stage has a flat finale 90km and so sets up a first sprint finish.
Stage 3 is over 184km from Richmond to Scarborough on the Yorkshire.
The 189.5km stage from Halifax to Leeds is the final stage and has been dubbed the Queen stage due to its hilly profile and six category climbs. The stage is similar to that of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart where the steep hills of Yorkshire sparked a hard day of racing.
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The stage will finish on the Leeds Headrow, exactly where the Tour de France started in 2014.
Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data) won the third edition of the Tour de Yorkshire, taking victory on the third-and-final stage after Dimension Data dominated the race with Omar Fraile finishing second overall. Sprinters Dylan Groenewegen and Nacer Bouhanni won sprints but the Frenchman also crashed out, disrupting his season due to concussion.
Dutchwoman Kirsten Wild thwarted the hopes of Yorkshire’s Lizzie Armitstead when she proved quickest of the bunch to claim the first edition of the Asda Tour de Yorkshire in Doncaster.
Gary Verity has been the driving force behind creating the Tour de Yorkshire as a legacy event following the Tour de France Grand Depart. The Tour de Yorkshire is organised with Tour de France organiser ASO.
"It was a proud moment unveiling the full route today. We’ve worked hard to design a dramatic and varied parcours which takes in some of our county’s most spectacular terrain. I'm sure the world's best riders will relish the challenge it poses and we'll be treated to a tremendous fourth edition," he said.
"Last year's race attracted 2.2 million spectators and generated £64 million for the local economy, and now that is has been extended from three to four days, the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire promises to be the biggest and best one yet."
In addition, Verity has worked hard to expand the women's race.
"We are proud of our commitment to promoting women's cycling and are delighted to see the Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race doubling in size in 2018,” he said.
"Expanding the race to two days means we can offer our most varied route yet which will challenge the world’s best riders. Both stages will feature the same sprints and climbs as the men and the atmosphere on the Cow and Calf for the race’s culmination is sure to be electric."
