The thrilling Tour de Yorkshire cycle race will be speeding through Craven on May 5, with thousands of spectators expected to line the route.

The race, due to feature Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish and a host of other world-class athletes, will pass through Sutton-in-Craven and Cross Hills, and then up Skipton High Street at around 1.32pm.

The cyclists will then pass through Embsay, Eastby, Barden, Burnsall, Threshfield, Kilnsey and Kettlewell, and up Cote de Park Rash into Richmondshire.

Residents and visitors are advised that there will be a number of rolling road closures and some delays on the roads should be expected. Parking on Skipton High Street will be suspended from 10am on Sunday until the race passes through, and parking restrictions will also be in place across the length of the race route.

The race “caravan” will pass through the route before the race, and will stop at a number of places to hand out promotional goodies to fans, including at 11.35am in Skipton High Street and at 12:39pm in Kettlewell.

Sharon Hudson, Communications and Partnerships Manager at Craven District Council, said: “The route through Craven is the same as it was last year and the event is always very popular here. We expect large crowds of people will be in Skipton and the surrounding villages to cheer on this thrilling race.

“As was the case last year, the race coincides with the Skipton Waterway Festival so the town is likely to be very busy. Please be aware of the road closures and parking restrictions, and please consider walking or cycling instead of driving to locations on the route. We would ask all visitors and residents to behave responsibly so that everyone can enjoy themselves safely. This was a fantastic event in 2018 and we expect it to be very successful again this year.”

Rolling road closures will be in place along the whole route for approximately half an hour before the race travels through, to approximately half an hour afterwards.

There will also be an extended road closure on the section from Cote de Park Rash through to Horsehouse. This section will be closed from 10.30am to 4.30pm, with access for residents only between 10.30am and 1pm.

Stage 4 of the race, on May 5, covers 175km, from Halifax to Leeds, and starts at the Piece Hall in Halifax at 12.35pm. The race will head up the cobbled Main Street in Haworth at 1.10pm and the first of six categorised climbs comes on the Côte de Goose Eye at 1.20pm.

Crossing from Brontë Country into Craven, the route heads through Skipton at 1.32pm and the next climb is looming on Barden Moor at 1.46pm.

The action will then head into the Dales before the riders contest the first intermediate sprint in view of Kilnsey Crag at 2.12pm.

The Côte de Park Rash faces the leaders at around 2.26pm, and the route continues on to Masham (3.16pm) and then into Nidderdale before making a return to the formidable Côte de Greenhow Hill at 3.55pm.

Shortly after passing through Otley at 4.28pm the next categorised climb is on the cards at Otley Chevin (4.34pm). The second intermediate sprint will be at Tinshill at 4.46pm before the riders head into Leeds, due to finish at around 5.03pm.

Timings have been calculated by anticipating the peloton’s average speed but are subject to change depending on variables such as wind speed, direction and how aggressively the riders race.

The full schedule and race timings can be viewed online at http://letouryorkshire.com/timings

Full details on the route can be found at http://letouryorkshire.com