THE world-renowned Tour de France cycle race could be coming to York and North Yorkshire under ambitious plans drawn up by the region’s tourism leaders.

Visitor organisation Welcome to Yorkshire is launching a bid to host the opening stages of the 2016 event, which could attract large crowds, generate tens of millions of pounds in tourism revenue and promote Yorkshire to a TV audience of more than two billion people.

Yorkshire is bidding to host the “Grand Départ”, the opening two days of racing, which are held in a new location outside France every year.

If successful, cyclists set off from Leeds city centre before heading to the Yorkshire Dales, York, the North York Moors, Scarborough and the coast, and then south to Hull then Sheffield.

The racing would be over two days, covering 180km (about 112 miles) each day, and there would also be a festival of music and entertainment in Leeds to welcome the teams and the event’s entourage.

A spokeswoman for Welcome to Yorkshire said detailed talks had been taking place for several months, with a bid team visiting the Paris offices of the Tour’s organising committee.

More talks have been lined up for next month and plans are underway for the Tour’s organisers to visit Yorkshire to see the proposed route.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “I can confirm that we are having advanced talks to host the Tour de France. Those in depth discussions are ongoing but I can reveal Yorkshire's bid has been positively received by the organising committee at this stage.

“Yorkshire is a world class destination experienced at successfully hosting world class events and we believe it will provide the perfect backdrop to the world’s greatest cycle race, producing the best international Grand Départ the Tour de France has seen yet.”

He said Welcome to Yorkshire would do everything it could to bring the event to the region, saying the economic impact would be “tremendous”.

When the Grand Départ was held in London and Kent in 2007, it was estimated that the event brought £88 million to south-east England and generated £35 million worth of media coverage.

James Alexander, leader of City of York Council, said: “Yorkshire is recognised around the world and York is its world-class heart. “Bringing the Tour de France to York after securing the route of the Olympic Torch and return of the World Snooker Championship to the Barbican reflects a new page in York’s progress that shows how ambitious York is about its future and holding sporting events.”

The Welcome to Yorkshire spokeswoman said the region could benefit to the tune of tens of millions of pounds of extra visitor spend if it won the right to host the Grand Départ, and said it could be the focus of a worldwide TV audience of over two billion people. Each year, 92 different channels in more than 185 countries televise the Tour de France, with the last hour of every stage broadcast live across Western Europe.

The Tour de France was first held in 1903. The three-week race now travels around France and surrounding countries covering over 3,600km. It attracts teams and riders from around the world.