Image 1 of 6 The 2014 Tour de France grand depart in Yorkshire was a boost to cycling in the UK (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 2 of 6 Should Yorkshire be successful in its bid for the 2019 Worlds, the fans are sure to pack the roads (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 3 of 6 The peloton passes over the Yorkshire moors during stage three of the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire Image 4 of 6 Yorkshire proved its ability to host a big race when the Tour de France visited in 2014 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 5 of 6 The full beauty of the Yorkshire countryside on display (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 6 of 6 Gary Verity was given a welcome recepetion (Image credit: SWpix.com)

Welcome to Yorkshire have confirmed it has submitted a bid for the 2019 UCI World Road Race Championships with Sir Gary Verity presenting the application to UCI President Brian Cookson. Yorkshire hosted the 2014 Tour de France grand depart and has since built on that legacy with the creation of the Tour de Yorkshire.

The bid has been backed by British Cycling and UK Sport, while the United Kingdom government has "guaranteed to underwrite the full cost of the event and back it with £24 million of investment," according to the official announcement.

"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," Verity said.

"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."

Yorkshire's bid for a World Championships was first made public in November of 2015 and gathered momentum in March of this year.

Yorkshire recently made a bid for next month's European Championships after they were moved from Nice in response to the July terrorist attack. However, Brittany has now been confirmed as the host for the September races. Yorkshire's bid for the 2019 Worlds is unrelated to its bid for the European Championships with starts proposed in North, South, East and West of the county.

Should the bid be successful, the organisers will make public the full details following the UCI's annual congress in Doha later this year.

"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," added Verity.





The 2016 Road World Championships will be hosted in Doha, Qatar. Bergen in Norway will host the championships in 2017 and Innsbruck, Austria the 2018 races.