AS York gears up to welcome the world’s biggest cycling event this year, chief executive of City of York Council and chair of Cycle Yorkshire Kersten England tells The Press about the Tour de France’s legacy for the city.

More people cycling more often. This is the simple ambition of Cycle Yorkshire.

Cycle Yorkshire is a unique initiative seeking to use Yorkshire’s Tour de France Grand Depart to deliver a region wide cycling legacy for all generations and all abilities.

The Last 10 years has seen a revolution in British cycling with Olypic and Tour de France successes galvanising enthusiasm and participation in the sport.

Cycling has the potential to help address major social issues in the region through promoting healthy living, increasing green travel, boosting tourism and supporting social inclusion.

Yorkshire has a rich cycling heritage.

The region is home to pioneers of British professional cycling such as Beryl Burton, Brian Robinson, Barry Hoban and Malcolm Elliott. More recently Yorkshire athletes Ed Clancy and Lizzie Armitstead have been at the heart of British Olympic success.

Every year Yorkshire plays host to major races on the cycling calendar; from professional road races to world cup mountain biking. Ilkley, Otley and Clifton cycle clubs are among the oldest in the country.

Their members join thousands of other enthusiasts to take part in the hundreds of organised sportives and mass participation cycling events across the county each year.

The drive and passion for cycling in Yorkshire has a long history. Participation is above the national average across our region and York has been named in the top three best cycling cities in the country.

This is a great base from which to start but there is still a lot to do. All local authorities and Cycle Yorkshire partners are committed to building Yorkshire’s cycling reputation even further.

We recognise there is still much to do.

There are wide discrepancies in cycling infrastructure, participation and opportunities across the region. Cycle Yorkshire and its members recognise this and have outlined five key areas of focus to address these differences.

In conjunction with local authorities, key partners and its members, Cycle Yorkshire is a broad alliance of enthusiastic and passionate people who are committed to delivering a significant and enduring legacy of the Tour de France’s visit to Yorkshire for this and future generations to come.