The decisive stage of this year’s race – ominously titled The Yorkshire Terrier due to its punishing parcours – exits Bradford’s City Park at 12.10pm and arrives in Guiseley at 12.32pm and then continues along the A65 travelling through Menston at 12.36pm, Burley-in-Wharfedale 12.39pm, Ilkley 12.46pm, Addingham 12.55pm and Bolton Abbey at 1.02pm. After a scenic trip into the Dales it heads back along the Aire Valley for the first of eight climbs on the Côte de Silsden at 2.04pm. The Côtes de Haworth and Leeming then follow in quick succession at 2.22pm and 12.32pm respectively. It finishes in the Fox Valley at 5.15pm. The full schedule and race timings can be viewed online at letour.yorkshire.com/timings

The colourful and creative publicity caravan will return to the Tour de Yorkshire for a second year, and it’s even bigger and better than before.

The hugely popular spectacle sees some of the county’s best-loved brands travel ahead of the riders each day of the race in a parade of specially decorated vehicles to excite the crowds and hand out freebies and keepsakes.=

This year’s caravan has tripled in size and will include Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries, Virgin Trains, Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Flybe, Aunt Bessie’s, Mug Shot, Alzheimer’s Society, the Tour Down Under, Welcome to Yorkshire, the Consulate of Pakistan, Lucy Pittaway, Fuel for School (The Real Junk Food Project), Harrogate Spring Water, Keelham Farm Shop (stage three only) and vintage Jowett cars.

Cycling fans will also be able to get up close and personal with some of the legends of the sport, the Tour de Yorkshire ambassadors, as they travel behind the caravan, meeting fans and posing for photographs. This will be compered by one of Britain’s greatest former professional cyclists, Hugh Porter MBE.

Mirfield’s Brian Robinson, the first Briton to win a stage of the Tour de France will be joined by Denise Burton-Cole, world-class rider and daughter of the legendary Morley cyclist Beryl Burton, Sheffield sprinter, Malcolm Elliott, and Barry Hoban, from Wakefield, who won eight stages of the Tour de France between 1967 and 1975.

The approximate timings for the publicity caravan are:

Bradford start (10:10), Burley in Wharfdale (10:23), Addingham – Bolton Road (10:41), Skipton High Street (11:43), Haworth (12:30), Queensbury (12:58), Brighouse (13:30), Birstall – Low Lane (13:47), Holmfirth (14:48), Penistone – Bridge Street (15:04) and then on to the finish in Fox Valley (16:13).