British Cycling has reached agreement with Tour de France organisers ASO and regional tourism agency Welcome To Yorkshire to support an application to the UCI to hold a three-day race in Yorkshire from next year.
The agreement will see ASO and Welcome To Yorkshire, supported by British Cycling, create an event which is sustainable and which will also help grow the sport of cycling both in Yorkshire and nationally. It is hoped the event will take place in May, subject to confirmation from the UCI, world cycling’s governing body.
British Cycling director of cycle sport Jonny Clay said: “We will await the decision of the UCI but I am confident that ASO and Welcome To Yorkshire will create a world-class event attractive to the best teams in cycling.
"What is more, all three organisations are committed to ensuring the race delivers lasting benefits to cycling by engaging more fans for our great sport and by encouraging more people to get active by getting on their bikes.
“What is common to all our events work is a determination that they inspire participation in the sport and support the network of volunteers upon whom cycling is reliant at every level.”
Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France added: “Alongside the public interest for cycling, highlighted by the Grand Départ, Yorkshire boasts beautiful breathtaking scenery worthy of any of the cycling season’s major events.
"It therefore seems perfectly natural for Welcome to Yorkshire, British Cycling and ASO to continue working together in this new land of cycling, through the Tour of Yorkshire.
"In particular, this three-day stage race will offer television viewers worldwide the opportunity to continue discovering the splendid landscapes of this English region, a journey started by the Tour de France, whose Grand Départ this year will remain its founding act.”
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “When we bid to host the Tour de France we did so in the knowledge that this would be the start of a long relationship with ASO.
"So I am delighted to be able to announce this exciting new race for Yorkshire. Our county is a new cycling heartland of Europe and we look forward to welcoming back some of the world’s best riders in Yorkshire in less than 12 months’ time.”
