Yorkshire to host 2019 UCI Road World Championships

Huge crowds greeted the Tour de France in Yorkshire in 2014

The UCI Road World Championships will be held in Britain for the first time in 37 years after Yorkshire was selected to host the 2019 event.

The decision follows the county's successful staging of the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2014 and the first two editions of the annual Tour de Yorkshire.

The winning bid was compiled by the tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire in partnership with British Cycling, UK Sport and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

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The Government will invest £24m into staging the nine-day event, while UK Sport has pledged £3m in National Lottery funding.

Welcome to Yorkshire has not yet revealed details of the race routes but has suggested that North, South, East and West Yorkshire will all be visited.

The Tour de France peloton tackles Yorkshire's Buttertubs Pass in 2014 (Picture: SWpix.com)

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: "Today marks a moment in history. Yorkshire has shown it can host world-class events with the Grand Depart and Tours de Yorkshire, and now the county has been chosen to host the nine-day UCI Road World Championships in 2019.

"We have got the scenery, the crowds, and the warm welcome, and we are sure the world's best riders will love the challenging roads we have to offer."

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The last time Britain hosted the UCI Road World Championships was in 1982, in Goodwood.

The event is made up of 12 races contested by 1,000 riders representing 75 nations.

The 2016 World Championships are currently taking place in Doha, Qatar, while the next two will be held in Bergen, Norway, and Innsbruck, Austria.

The county also hosts the annual Tour de Yorkshire (Picture: SWpix.com)

Yorkshire's selection as 2019 host was announced by International Cycling Union president Brian Cookson in Doha.

Cookson said: "The UCI Management Committee is pleased to award the UCI Road World Championships to Yorkshire in 2019. Since hosting the Tour de France's Grand Depart in 2014 and subsequent Tours de Yorkshire, the county has proved it is a fitting host for road cycling's leading annual event and we are sure there will be world class crowds to match."

Of the money invested into hosting the World Championships in Yorkshire, £15m will be spent on creating 27 cycling facilities in the UK.

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