Yorkshire makes late bid to replace Nice as host of this year's European Road Cycling Championships

Yorkshire has announced a late bid to secure yet another cycling event for the region. The European Road Cycling Championships will take place in just four weeks’ time but the event is currently without a host venue following a late withdrawal by the French city of Nice.

The European Road Cycling Championships, planned for September 14-18, were cancelled last week due to security concerns in the host city of Nice. Mayor Philippe Pradal said the event required a large police presence in the wake of July's lorry attack, but the city had not "received any guarantees."

In a statement, the Union Européenne  de  Cyclisme (UEC) said: “This decision is justified on the grounds of safety as this event required a huge security presence which cannot be guaranteed in view of the significant constraints.”

The organisation then said that it would be looking for an alternative venue. The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Yorkshire is one of three places to have put themselves forward, although Brittany is thought to be the favourite.

The championships involve a series of road races and time trials for junior, under-23 and elite male and female riders.

A Welcome to Yorkshire spokeswoman said: “We hope that the organisers manage to find an alternative in France but if they don’t and they want to find an alternative place to host the race outside of France, we want to step into the ring. Yorkshire would be honoured to host the event.”

The UEC is expected to name the host venue by Sunday August 14.