Sir Gary Verity, the leader of the Yorkshire Grand Depart and the race director of the Tour de Yorkshire, says that the county wants to host the UCI World Championships at some point.

“We welcome today’s Government spending review which follows the Chancellor’s statement of support in February 2015 for a Yorkshire bid for the UCI Road World Championships,” Verity said in a statement sent to Cyclingnews. We have a long and distinguished history in cycling, and through hosting world class events have placed ourselves firmly on the path to being the European capital of cycling.”

While the Worlds locations have been set for the next few years, with Qatar 2016, Bergen (Norway) 2017 confirmed and Innsbruck, Austria all but confirmed for 2018, 2019 is the next feasible time the county could host the championships.

Should a bid be successful, it would be the third time in Britain’s history, and the first since 1982, that they have hosted the Worlds.