TWO North Yorkshire towns are among the communities set to welcome the official Tour de Yorkshire trophies when they hit the road later this month.

Both the men’s and women’s Y shaped trophies are visiting each of the six start and finishes for a day ahead of the race weekend.

They will be taken to schools and leisure centres, as well as events in host towns and cities.

The trophies will stop off in Scarborough on March 28 and Harrogate on April 3 as part of the tour which also sees them visit Bridlington, Bradford Tadcaster and Sheffield.

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The trophy tour is always a hugely popular event in the run up to race weekend and this year it will be even more special with the addition of the women’s trophy.

“Each host local authority is pulling together an exciting timetable of events so I hope communities will come out to see the trophy and build excitement for the race.”

The trophies have been designed and made by hand at world leading trophy makers Thomas Fattorini, based in Yorkshire.

In 2016, the men’s trophy was won by Direct Energie’s Thomas Voeckler, while Kirsten Wild of Hitec-Products took home the women’s trophy.