Jean-Etienne Amaury, President of the Amaury Sport Organisation, speaks during the official presentation of 2012 Tour de France route. (Image credit: AFP)
Yorkshire has submitted its formal bid to host the start of the Tour de France in 2016. The proposed route would also take in the Yorkshire Dales and the cities of Scarborough, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield and York. Barcelona, Venice, Berlin and Scotland are also bidding for the start.
“We are making a series of pitches which will culminate in a big meeting in two months to try to persuade the organisers that Yorkshire is the place for them,” said Gary Verity, who is the chief executive of the regional tourist bid, to the York Press.
“It is the world’s biggest annual sporting event, with 88 million people watching it every day on TV, and it offers massive coverage.
Representatives from the Amaury Sport Organisation will visit Yorkshire in May to study the proposed route.
“Yorkshire would be a beautiful backdrop, offering so much in terms of outstanding scenery as well as the necessary infrastructure,” said City of York Council leader James Alexander.
“Hosting a section of the race would give Yorkshire a global audience of more than 80 million and provide a huge boost to the region's visitor economy. I will be doing all I can to bring the event not just to Yorkshire, but to York."
