Halifax dropped as stage hosts of 2017 Tour de Yorkshire
The West Yorkshire town was announced as a stage host in 2015, but it was dropped when the 2017 stage towns were officially unveiled
When the six hosts towns for the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire were announced on Tuesday, there was one omission that contradicted a previous announcement.
In October 2015, Welcome to Yorkshire revealed the half-a-dozen towns that would host stage starts or finishes for the 2016 race, and also named Fox Valley (Sheffield), Harrogate, Selby and Halifax as stage hosts for the 2017 race.
But the announcement on Tuesday overlooked Halifax, instead selecting Scarborough, Bridlington and Bradford.
>>> Is this the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire route?
A Welcome to Yorkshire spokesperson said: "We are grateful to Calderdale Council for expressing their interest and are certainly open to bringing the race to Halifax in the future.
"We received 15 bids to become a host town or city in 2017 and we’re pushing for the race to be extended to four days in order to bring the Tour de Yorkshire to more parts of the county."
The news, however, has angered Halifax's MP Holly Lynch. She told the Halifax Courier: "This is a huge disappointment given the assurances that Halifax would host this major event.
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“I have written to organisers asking for a full explanation and urging them to reconsider their decision."
On paper it also appears that Selby was omitted, but due to flooding in the town, organisers have moved the stage to Tadcaster, which is governed by Selby District Council.
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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
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