Yorkshire will find out on Wednesday whether its bid to host the 2019 UCI Road World Championships has been successful.
The English county’s bid to host the 2019 Worlds was revealed in August, and a decision on whether or not it will host the prestigious event will be made by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) at the current 2016 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, October 12.
Cycling Weekly understands that a press conference will be held in Leeds on Wednesday afternoon regarding the bid.
Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity said in August that delegates from the UCI have held meetings with them, and visited Yorkshire to see some of the areas available.
Verity said: “They [UCI] spent a lot of time looking at the various choices they have in terms of parcours because Yorkshire can offer anything.
Sir Gary Verity of Welcome to Yorkshire has been a key part of the county’s bid to host the 2019 World Champs
“If the UCI wanted a flat stage, we can provide that. If they wanted a really hilly tough stage, we can provide that. If they want something that’s undulating, more like an Ardennes or Flanders classic, we can provide that as well.”
>>> Eight key questions about Yorkshire’s Road World Championships bid answered
Welcome To Yorkshire’s bid was make in conjunction with British Cycling and UK Sport, with the British government backing the event with £24 million of investment.
Yorkshire’s association with cycling is a long-standing one, but has grown in recent years since the county hosted the Grand Départ of the 2014 Tour de France. The Tour de Yorkshire legacy event is now a firm fixture on the racing calendar.
Welcome to Yorkshire have said that several top teams have backed its bid to host the 2019 Worlds.
“I’ve already had a number of the top teams saying we really hope you get it in Yorkshire; they really want it to come to Yorkshire,” Verity told Cycling Weekly in August.
The UCI Road World Championships comprise time trial and road race disciplines, with the winner in each category earning the right to wear the coveted rainbow jersey of world champion for the following year.
The 2016 Worlds are currently taking place in Doha, Qatar (October 9-16). Bergen, Norway, will host the 2017 Worlds, with Innsbruck-Tirol, Austria, hosting the 2018 Worlds.
