TOURISM chiefs are hoping the Tour of France will cross the Humber Bridge after Yorkshire landed the start of the prestigious event in 2014.
The finalised route will be unveiled next month but there is speculation the world's best cyclists will cross the iconic landmark on the last leg of the Yorkshire Moors route back to Leeds.
Yorkshire has beaten worldwide competition to bring the world's largest annual sporting event to the county.
The Grand Départ, the prestigious opening few days of the event, will be held in the county, bringing the race to the north of England for the first time.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the agency behind the county's bid, said: "It is a proud moment for everyone involved in the bid and the county as a whole.
"We are honoured the race organiser, the Amaury Sport Organisation, has selected Yorkshire to be the host location of the 2014 Grand Départ.
"It will mean less than two years after hosting the Olympics the British public can look forward to another of the world's biggest sporting events coming to the country.
"I am in no doubt they will come to Yorkshire in their millions, lining the length and breadth of the route to cheer on the champions of world cycling and our home-grown British heroes.
"Yorkshire is a passionate county of proud people and I am sure they will guarantee their Grand Départ raises the bar in terms of expectations for all future hosts to come."
Leeds has been selected as the host city for the Grand Départ before the race crosses Yorkshire on January 5 and 6.
From here, the tour will move south before finishing its England leg in London.
With the final route having not yet been confirmed, officials in Hull and East Yorkshire are hoping to bring an aspect of the tour to the region.
Councillor Terry Geraghty, portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said it is a coup for the area.
He said: "We are over the moon that we have won the bid. Everyone involved has worked extremely hard.
"It will be a huge event for the area so I will be doing everything I can to ensure Hull and East Yorkshire is a part of it.
"We have already seen what hosting major events can do for the city and with the Rugby World Cup next year and now the potential of welcoming the Tour de France, it is an exciting time for Hull."
Cllr Geraghty believes hosting major sporting events will boost the region's economy and help attract more businesses.
He said: "Success breeds success and the tour will help emphasise what Yorkshire has to offer.
"It is vitally important we continue to attract more companies. Businesses often look at sport and culture events to gauge how successful the area is."
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