Halifax dropped as stage hosts of 2017 Tour de Yorkshire

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.

“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.