Yorkshire to host start of the Vuelta a Espana in near future

Yorkshire is set to host the start of the Vuelta a Espana in the near future with conversations turning to when, not if, the Spanish Grand Tour will visit the region.

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity has held talks with Vuelta director Javier Guillen about bringing three days of racing to Yorkshire as early as 2021.

The Vuelta, won this year by Britain's Simon Yates, is one of the three biggest stage races in cycling, alongside the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia.

"I spoke to Javier last night and we're out there in a few days' time," Verity said of ongoing talks.

"We're just debating with Javier which year the Vuelta will start in Yorkshire....what year works for him and what year works best for us and how can we come to an accommodation on that."

Verity was speaking at Friday's route announcement for the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire, which is a legacy of the region hosting the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2014.

Next year Yorkshire will also stage the UCI Road World Championships in September.

Verity is also continuing to push for the Tour de France to return, something which Tour director Christian Prudhomme has already indicated is on the cards, though no date is yet in place.

"Gary talks to me about the Tour de France Grand Depart for about 45 minutes of every hour," said Prudhomme, who also attended Friday's launch.

"The Grand Depart here was unforgettable and Yorkshire is always on my mind."