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Yorkshire to host three-day race from 2015 after Tour de France organisers ASO sign deal

Image: Buttertubs Pass could be used for top-level racing beyond this year's Tour de France

The organisers of the Tour de France will help to stage an international three-day cycle race in Yorkshire from 2015, it has been confirmed.

Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), British Cycling and tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire have signed an agreement to work together on the project.

The announcement was made at an event in Harrogate to mark 100 days until Yorkshire hosts the start of this year's Tour de France.

The name, dates and potential route of the new race are yet to be determined.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, which was behind the county's successful bid to host the Tour's Grand Départ this July, said: "We have signed a memorandum of understanding with British Cycling and ASO to launch a new international bike race in Yorkshire from May 2015 onwards.

"It will be three days of cycling right the way across the county, in places that missed out on the Tour this time around, such as the coast and Ryedale.

'Very excited'

More from Tour De France 2014

"We have always said that the Tour de France is the start of this journey, not the end of it. We want to have more cycling events of all types and anything we can do to facilitate that is something we are going to commit to. We look forward to announcing more details in due course."

The new race is expected to be made up of four stages, with a split first day comprising of a time trial in the morning and then a road stage in the afternoon.

It could occupy a similar status in the professional calendar to the Criterium International, a two-day, three-stage race held in France that was won last year by Chris Froome.

This year's Tour de France starts with two stages in Yorkshire - from Leeds to Harrogate on July 5 and York to Sheffield on July 6 - and then a third stage from Cambridge to London on July 7.

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