Bradford has been chosen to stage the finish of the Yorkshire stage of this year's Tour of Britain.

The country's biggest cycling event will arrive in Yorkshire on Thursday, September 13. The city hosted the start of the Yorkshire leg of the tour last year but this year its climax will take place at Lister Park.

The stage will start at Rother Valley in Rotherham, with the cyclists racing north in a reverse of last year's stage which ended in Sheffield.

Neil Jenkinson, head of culture and major events for Yorkshire Forward, which is supporting the event alongside Bradford and Rotherham councils, said: "The Tour of Britain Cycle Race is now firmly established in the region's calendar of sporting events and we are delighted to be hosting a stage for a fourth consecutive year."

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council's executive member for environment and Culture, said: "It is fantastic that Bradford is hosting the finish after a successful event last year.

"Hundreds of people came to Centenary Square to wave the cyclists off at the start of the race, and we expect even more people to line the route to see them finish. Lister Park will provide a beautiful setting for the end to this stage of the race."

The event will be provide a boon to the sport in the district, according to Paul Corcoran, of Pennine Cycles in Thornton Road, Bradford. He said: "From the sport's point of view it is a great idea. It's always better to have the excitement of the finish than the start, and it will give young people a chance to meet the stars of the race. Anything that promotes cycling is a good thing.

"With the Tour de France also coming to Britain this year and our having done so well in the track medals at the world championships it is a great time for British cycling and hopefully will help to inspire a new generation of cyclists."

The Tour will take place between September 9 and 15 and runs south to north for the first time, with the final stage finishing in Glasgow. Like the Tour de France, it is set to start with a prologue time trial in London. The 1.55-mile sprint will be held at Crystal Palace. The first road stage from Reading to Southampton is the shortest of the race at 87 miles passing through the New Forest. The second is the longest at 108 miles from Yeovilton to Taunton. The riders will make a pass through the finish for a final 31 miles loop over closed roads on Exmoor, where the climb of Porlock Hill is guaranteed to string the field out.

The Yorkshire stage four at 105 miles is another tough one. The final climb before the finish in Bradford will be by the Cow and Calf rocks at Ilkley.