TEAM Sky's Luke Rowe will ride in the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire, the race organisers have announced.
The Welshman, who was a part of Chris Froome's Tour de France wins in 2015 and 2016, will be joined by Olympic gold medallist Owain Doull and world points race champion Jon Dibben in Team Sky's line-up for the three-day race.
The third edition of the event, which starts on April 28 and goes through the Bradford district on the final day, will also include British road-race champion Adam Blythe and former winners Lars Petter Nordhaug and Thomas Voeckler, while Cofidis sprinter Nacer Bouhanni – a former points classification winner at the Giro d'Italia – will feature for the first time.
In the women's race, a one-day event which takes place on April 29, London 2012 silver medallist Lizzie Deignan, from Otley will compete in her home county while current Olympic road-race champion Anna van der Breggen, two-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini and British road-race winner Hannah Barnes will also be in action.
Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity said: "It is exciting to be able to unveil this first wave of big-name riders and the strength of this list demonstrates how highly the Tour de Yorkshire is regarded.
"The third edition will be the biggest and best one yet, and with world champions, Olympic gold medallists and Grand Tour stage winners on the start-list, we can guarantee three days of great racing."
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