PETE Williams will be on home ground when he rides the first stage of the Tour de Yorkshire.

The Embsay rider is part of the One Pro team as he is looking forward to some home support on the opening stage from Beverley to Settle.

The 29-year-old goes into his home race boosted by his best result of the year, second place in the Tro Bro Leon in Northern France on April 16.

It was a one-two for One Pro with Martin Mortenson taking the victory after a gruelling race.

Williams, who started the year by racing in the Tour of Dubai, raced in Britain for the first time at the weekend in the Rutland Cycle Classic.

Williams said: "It is going to be great to be racing at home in the Tour de Yorkshire in front of home supporters.

"I hope they turn out and support the race as they did last year. It looks like being a tough race, particular over the moors, and we never know what the weather might throw at us.

"For me, it will be great to be back in Yorkshire. I have been racing a lot on the continent and I feel that things have been going well."

This is the second year for the One Pro team and Williams is delighted with the way thing are progressing. "Everything has gone up a notch from our first year. The team is determined to make an impact and so much has gone into making an impact.

"There has been a lot of work done on nutrition to help us improve our performance and we have been using the new Factor Bikes.

"They have been specially designed by the former Tour de France green jersey winner Baden Cooke and use the latest Formula One technology. We have an amazing aero bike and also a special climbing and all-rounder bike. They are incredibly light and every effort has been made to help us make gains in our performance."

Williams says the team's attention to detail has helped him to improve his power scores. "My data is looking good and I believe there is more to come."

In the Tour de Yorkshire Williams is expected to play a support role to the team's sprinter Chris Opie, but he is no mean sprinter himself having won the sprint classification in the 2011 Tour of Britain.

Williams said: "At the level we are competing at you have to put all your eggs in one basket. Chris is our top sprinter and it is important we do all we can to help him to get a stage victory."