SKIPTON’S Le Petit Depart has partnered up with Welcome to Yorkshire to become part of a flagship regional cycle event series.

The Welcome to Yorkshire Sportive Series kicks off with Le Petit Depart from Skipton on Sunday, May 31 – a choice of two routes through the stunning Yorkshire Dales, organised by Craven District Council and Skipton Cycling Club.

This will be followed by The William's Farm Kitchen Cycle Challenge in Hornsea on June 21, and then rounded off with the Action 100 in York on August 16.

Any rider who completes all three events will be awarded with a Welcome to Yorkshire Cycling jersey at the end of the Action 100 event in York.

With not long to go, entries are flooding in and the Skipton event looks like it will sell out. To be sure of a place, cyclists are advised to book quickly – entries close at midnight on Monday May 25.

Carl Lis, the council's lead member for the communities, said: “This was a fantastic event last year and it’s great to see so many people entering this year. Craven district has some truly spectacular scenery and some wonderful roads for cycling on and Le Petit Depart combines these to make a fabulous event."

Every month entries are being put into a prize draw for a range of goodies from Cycle company Hope Technology in Barnoldswick and £50 vouchers from JACS Trade and DIY in Skipton.

Gavin Haworth, JACS marketing manager, said: “JACS is always looking to support local community events, especially people from Skipton and the surrounding area. Le Petit Depart was a fantastic event last year and we were more than happy to come on board for the second year and help push the event forward once again.”

The three events have been hand-picked to offer the cyclists a great mix of routes and scenery which will take in some great areas of the county.

Le Petit Depart follows much of the Tour de France 2014 Stage 1 route. Starting from Skipton and travelling north into the Dales, the event offers two fantastic routes to cater for all abilities – a 38-mile recreational ride and an 80-mile sportive.

The William's Farm Kitchen Cycle Challenge also gives riders two routes to choose from – either 100km or 60km through the quiet winding lanes of Holderness and East Yorkshire.

Finally, the York 100 charity cycling sportive takes participants through the Vale of York and the Yorkshire Wolds, past the magnificent Castle Howard and the Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

To sign up for the events use the individual event links - Le Petit Depart: http://www.lepetitgranddepart.co.uk; WFK cycle challenge: http://www.williamsfarmkitchen.co.uk/events/; Action 100: http://www.action.org.uk/york-100