Tour de Yorkshire: Voeckler aims to go out on a high

The veteran French rider was a popular winner of the race last year, and has made a return to Yorkshire a priority as he winds his career down towards a planned finale at this summer's Tour de France.

"This'll be the last race of my life wearing number one," the 37-year-old Direct-Energie rider said. "It feels special. I've been relishing every moment since the beginning of the season, but riding here in Yorkshire will be a unique experience.

"The crowds have always been very warm towards me. I'll never forget the welcome I got here, last year's victory and this famous number one."

Voeckler is part of a powerful field heading to Friday's start line in Bridlington, with Team Sky led by Luke Rowe, and sprinting talent in the form of Orica-Scott's Caleb Ewan and Cofidis' Nacer Bouhanni.

With the opening stage to Scarborough taking a challenging route through the North Yorkshire Moors, those sprinters will have to wait for Saturday's stage two - from Tadcaster to Harrogate - for their chance, before an imposing final stage between Bradford and Fox Valley promises to decide the overall result.

Hoping to challenge the big-name sprinting powers is British champion Adam Blythe, who will be lining up for Aqua Blue Sport.

"We're bringing a very strong team to the Tour de Yorkshire," the 27-year-old from Sheffield said.

"A mass sprint looks unlikely in the opening stage, but I hope to be in the mix in the second one. I'll give it my best. Winning here, with the national champion's jersey on my shoulders, would be simply unbelievable."

The women's race will take place on Saturday morning over the same 122.5km route the men will contest later in the day.

Tour organisers have made a priority of ensuring the women use the same roads as the men, and though a sprint is likely, this year the course is much more challenging than last year's between Otley and Doncaster.

Lizzie Deignan will line up for the powerful Boels-Dolman team, but two-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini of the British-registered Wiggle High5 squad is also a strong contender.

"When I saw the stage profile, I knew we were going to suffer," the Italian said. "But I'm happy to see cycling grow like this."