THE Tour de France Grand Depart of 2014 shone a light on Yorkshire as a world class cycling destination.

But the triumph that was Le Tour was in many ways the latest encounter in a unique long distance love affair between the White Rose and the most challenging race on the planet.

From the culture shock that working class Yorkshiremen experienced cycling alongside the continental greats of the 1950s and 60s to the golden triumphs of post-Millennial Olympic success, Cycle Yorkshire tells the region's cycling story through the eyes of the riders themselves.

It delves into how the pit villages, steelworks, glorious landscapes and riding routes of Yorkshire have played their part in pioneering and sustaining British cycling at home and abroad.

And it explores the stories of determination, passion and heartbreak behind legends like Brian Robinson, Barry Hoban, Tom Simpson and Beryl Burton as well as the struggles and successes of riders through the decades, from Sid Barras and Malcolm Elliott to Russ Downing and Lizzie Deignan.

It also looks at what the future might hold for the sport in God's Own Country, with the advent of the growing Tour de Yorkshire and the region's first Road World Championships on the horizon in 2019.

Crammed with exclusive interviews as well as informed guides on the region's famed cycling climbs and the training routes favoured by pros past and present, Cycle Yorkshire chronicles a county's rise to the top through the riders who made it happen.

It's the ultimate account of Yorkshire's cycling story.

Jonathan Brown, Cycle Yorkshire author, said: "Through reporting on the Tour de France as it came through Yorkshire I was fascinated at the spectacle and how it transformed the county for two days but what caught my imagination even more was unravelling the stories of the White Rose's riders who really made it happen.

"Yorkshire can lay claim to the first British rider to win a Tour stage, the first Brit to win a mountain stage and two consecutive stages and it played a huge role in nurturing the talent that broke Britain's yellow jersey duck and claimed our first road race world championship title.

"But this is not a story of constant success and achievement. Collectively, Yorkshire's riders went through decades of graft, perseverance, tragedy and turmoil before the county enjoyed its moment in the sun.

"For me, Cycle Yorkshire is the first time this history, conveyed by the riders themselves, has been pieced together to reflect generations of largely unsung heroes who have and continue to contribute to a real cycling success story."

Cycle Yorkshire by Jonathan Brown, published by Great Northern Books, 26th April 2017, rrp £17.99, hardback, 192 pages, ISBN: 978-0-9933447-8-7

Available from www.greatnorthernbooks.co.uk and all good booksellers.