Welcome to Yorkshire overnight confirmed the bid that UK Government has agreed to underwrite the cost of and support with a £24 million ($40,661,470) investment.
The region has invested heavily in cycling since hosting the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014, which marked the advent of the annual Tour de Yorkshire stage race held over rugged and rolling terrain. The women’s race this year made headlines offering equal prize money to that of the men’s event.
UK Sport as well as British Cycling has worked in conjunction with Welcome to Yorkshire to establish the bid set to be determined at a UCI congress in Qatar later this year. Specific details have not been made public.
“Yorkshire has everything a bike race could wish for. We can promise a gruelling but spectacular range of routes, huge crowds and the very warmest of welcomes. We are sure the world’s best riders will find our beautiful roads both challenging and exhilarating in equal measure,” Welcome to Yorkshire boss Gary Verity said.
“The Tour de France Grand Départ in 2014 cemented the county’s place as a world-class cycling destination and since then I have been proud to oversee the launch and growth of the Tour de Yorkshire – a race which is now regarded as one of the most dramatic and well-supported events in the sport.
“Make no mistake, cycling is in Yorkshire’s DNA and hosting the 2019 UCI Road World Championships will only reaffirm that.
“Yorkshire is ready to embrace the Championships. We’ve turned the county yellow once before, and now we want to see it swathed with those coveted rainbow bands.”
Tour de France crowds in Yorkshire in 2014. Yorkshire folk love a bike race (AAP)
