Tour de Yorkshire could become four-day race in 2016

Welcome to Yorkshire boss Sir Gary Verity confirmed on Thursday that he would like to see the Tour de Yorkshire race step-up from a three-day event to a four-day event in 2016 after its inaugural success..

Verity was making a speech at the Scarborough Cricket Festival when he revealed that the race would be returning again in 2016, but would possibly also feature another stage, saying that its success had been “like no other cycle race.”

>>> Tour de Yorkshire: where will it go next?

He also suggested there would be a greater focus on women's racing at the cycling festival, which came off the back of Yorkshire's hosting of the Tour de France Grand Départ in 2014, with full details about the routes to be revealed later this year.

“Yorkshire has record visitor numbers. We wanted to have an event to unite the county and nothing united the county like the Tour de France," Verity said, reports the Yorkshire Post.

“It will come back again," he added, "And following the Tour de Yorkshire success, in September we will announce the areas with the full route revealed in December.

“I want to increase the focus on women’s races to make it more in line with the men’s event.”

2015 Tour de Yorkshire highlights