Tour de Yorkshire extended for 2018

The 2018 edition of the Tour de Yorkshire is to be extended.

The men’s race will now take part over four days, with the women’s version rising to two days of competition.

A one-day race for elite women debuted last year and Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) confirmed its decision to add an extra day to the schedule, running from 3 to 4 May, with the men’s four-day tournament running from 3 to 6 May.

Last year's event was watched by an estimated 2.2m people and took place over three days, generating £64m for the local economy.

The race was launched in 2015 as a legacy project following Yorkshire's successful hosting of the 2014 Grand Depart leg of the Tour de France.

Yorkshire became the first place in the UK to be officially recognised as a UCI Bike Region, at a ceremony in Bergen, Norway on Wednesday, 20 September.