Yorkshire is set to host one of the world’s top cycling events and hopes are high that the Huddersfield area will be chosen as part of the route.
Following on from Yorkshire’s success in staging the Tour de France Grand Départ in 2014, the county has been chosen to host the nine-day 2019 UCI Road World Championships.
No-one knows where in Yorkshire the route will go but Kirklees councillor Martyn Bolt, who promotes the sport locally and nationally, wants to ensure Kirklees is firmly in the organisers’ sights.
Millions of pounds will be provided by the Government to host the race with Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch giving Yorkshire her backing. The bid was secured by Welcome to Yorkshire, led by chief executive Sir Gary Verity.
Clr Bolt, who was closely involved with bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire and also organised the Huddersfield Criterium race, says he thinks there’s a good chance of Kirklees of winning a slice of the action.
He said: “We have experience of staging these kind of events with the Tour de France in 2014 passing through Huddersfield and the spectacular climb up Holme Moss.
“We have some very challenging terrain and this is our chance to get our borough in front of half the world’s population on TV.
“I will be discussing how we can make our pitch to Sir Gary with council leader David Sheard.
“We have a very vibrant tourism industry in Kirklees and we are still reaping the benefits of the Last of the Summer Wine programme with people anxious to visit the area where it was filmed.
“In the same way cycling enthusiasts are still keen to come here and reprise the Tour De France route.
“And we have some of the best cyclists in the country with our own Gabz Cullaigh from New Mill.”
Tour de France legend Brian Robinson, 85, of Mirfield, who rode in no fewer than eight world road championships, also wants Kirklees to figure in 2019.
He said: “It’s great news for our sport and I hope that the organisers will invite me to set it off in 2019!
“I would certainly hope that at the very least Holme Moss will feature in the race.
“It’s iconic and I call it ‘my hill’! It’s a good place for viewing too. This event is just as prestigious as the Tour De France.”
So what do we know about the UCI Road World Championships?
The championships, currently taking place in Doha, Qatar, are less well-known than the Tour de France but equally prestigious.
Some of the races are as short as 8.5 miles while others are mammoth tests of endurance up to 160 miles.
The championships consist of a road race, a team time trial and a time trial for elite men and women and a road race and a time trial for men under-23, junior men and junior women.
It is the 89th Road World Championships and it was the first time that Qatar and the Middle East had hosted the championships.
Yorkshire’s championships will be the first time cycling’s showcase has returned to Britain in 37 years and there’s a budget of £27m to make it happen.
Sir Gary Verity, head of Welcome to Yorkshire, promised that the four parts of the county, east, west, north and south would be included in the route.
There will be five categories of racing over the nine days: junior men and women, elite men and women and under-23 men.
The championships have been held twice in this country since the Second World War.
In 1970 the championships were staged at Mallory Park, Leicestershire, followed by Goodwood, Sussex in 1982.
