KEIGHLEY district will have to wait until December to discover if it will feature in next year's Tour de Yorkshire.

The six host towns and cities, where racing will start or finish, were announced this week.

They include Bradford.

But the full route will not be unveiled until nearer Christmas.

The three-day men's race will start on April 28 and the women's event will take place on April 29.

This year's second Tour de Yorkshire attracted about two million roadside spectators and a global TV audience of more than 11 million.

Last year's course included the Worth Valley.

Sir Gary Verity – chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, which is organising the event with the Amaury Sport Organisation – said: "In just two years, the Tour de Yorkshire has become one of the biggest and best races on the professional cycling calendar.

"Riders are overwhelmed by the support they receive on the roadside and the racing is among the most exciting you will see all season.

"The third edition will continue that progression and the attention it receives will be greater than ever, given that we have just succeeded in bringing the UCI Road World Championships to the county in 2019.

"The world's best cyclists will be using the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire as a first dress rehearsal for that and we're planning a course that will challenge and impress them in equal measure."

Other host towns are Bridlington, Fox Valley (Sheffield), Harrogate, Scarborough and Tadcaster.