The course starts and finishes at Duncombe Park

Some of the country's top road cyclists will be in North Yorkshire on Sunday 7 June for the Ryedale Grand Prix.

It is part of British Cycling's Premier Calendar Series and attracts some of the best riders from the continent as well as the UK.

Race director Bob Howden told BBC Radio York: "It's known as the one where the action tends to go from the gun.

"It's a heavy course because rather than having massively steep hills it's a succession of rolling hills."

Howden said: "We have an annual series of 12 events which are the very best of races within the UK.

In recent years we've incorporated that into the Ryedale Grand Prix as a fitting testament to a son of Ryedale Race director Bob Howden

"We've 120 riders, there's the Irish national team riding, we've also got a Swedish professional team riding and so really the winner could come from anywhere."

The event has been held in the area for around 10 years and has been based at Duncombe Park since 2005 when it became the Ryedale Grand Prix.

As well as the main race a North Yorkshire schools mountain bike championship will take place as well as the Peter Longbottom Memorial Race.

Howden said: "Peter was an extremely well known Malton-based cyclist who was killed on the A64. He was an Olympian and he rode at the games in Korea.

"He was very well respected nationally and his old club, VC York first began the process of organising the Peter Longbottom Memorial Race.

"In recent years we've incorporated that into the Ryedale Grand Prix as a fitting testament to a son of Ryedale."

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