TRUE grit is the order of the day as North Yorkshire heralds the biggest sporting event ever held in the county by bringing out the big guns in the shape of an 18 tonne gritter.

The gritter emblazoned with the slogan ‘Salt of the Earth’ will be on the road as part of the first ever publicity caravan for the UCI Road World Cycling Championships which will be rolling into the county next week.

It’s also been confirmed that six newly-crowned world champions and a further seven medallists will be showing their true grit by taking part in the Yorkshire 2019 Para-Cycling International which for the first time is running alongside the championships.

In the Para Cycling International is on Saturday, September 21, there are 26 races with the worlds leading paralympians taking part – including British cycling legend Dame Sarah Storey and Adam Duggleby from Beverley who will be performing on home turf.

Adam will roll out of his home town in the B class as the sighted pilot with visually impaired cyclist Stephen Bate. Adam and Stephen bagged silver medals in the time trial event in Emmen, in the Netherlands and are real contenders to win in the International.

The gritter will travel through towns and villages on September 28 and 29,to lead the way for the men’s and women’s elite races helping to showcase the importance of the global event for the county.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said: “Our communities are strong because our people are the salt of the earth and we wanted to take this moment to celebrate those qualities with the rest of the world.

“This is an incredible moment for us and we have an important story to tell. With some of the most spectacular landscapes in England and steeped in history and heritage we wanted to take our message back to grassroots and say this is who we are and we look forward to showing you what a terrific place North Yorkshire is.”

Councillor for Access Cllr Don Mackenzie said the message also reflects the grit and resilience of communities particularly the Dales villages which are making a strong recovery from the terrible flash floods over the summer.

He added: “We have 5,750 miles of roads and maintaining them is a huge but vital task. Roads connect communities, communities connect the county and the people living and working in our county will connect to the world throughout the championships this month.

“Since the Grand Depart in 2014 we have been building on our growing reputation as the home to world class cycling events. Viewers across 90 nations will watch as the cyclists weave through our lanes and streets passing traditional dales, iconic landmarks and market towns. This is a moment not to be missed.”

The gritter sponsored by contractors Ringway will hand out Yorkshire Crisps and salted caramel fudge by Stirrd to promote business. Over 1,400 riders are taking part in the Championships and Para Cycling International, for times and routes go to www.northyorks.gov.uk/uci-road-world-cycling-championships