HOPES are high that next year's Tour de Yorkshire will again come through Bronte Country and Keighley as organisers today revealed the host locations of the expanded four-day men's race.

Among the stages where the May 3 to 6 2018 race will begin or end will be Halifax and Ilkley.

Other host locations will be Richmond, Scarborough, Barnsley, Beverley, Doncaster and Leeds.

The Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire – which is doubling in size from one to two days - will be held over May 3 to 4.

The race is organised by Welcome to Yorkshire and the Amaury Sport Organisation. (ASO)

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire is a true success story and in just three years it has grown to become one of the best attended and most dramatic races on the cycling calendar.

“Of course, with the men’s race being extended to four days and the women’s race now being held over two, it means we can visit more parts of the county and I know our eight start and finish locations will put on a real show.”

Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France at ASO, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire has gone from strength to strength over the last three years and we are delighted to be working with such a great team at Welcome to Yorkshire.

“The way people get behind the race in Yorkshire is incredible, and we are looking forward to another fantastic edition in 2018.”

Julie Harrington, chief executive of British Cycling, said: "Next year's Tour de Yorkshire is shaping up to be the best yet with more stages for the men's and women's races.

"At British Cycling, we're looking forward to working with colleagues and partners across the county to use the inspiration of the world's best riders to get even more people on bikes."

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s executive member for Environment, Sport and Culture, said: “We are delighted that Ilkley has been chosen to host either a start or a finish for the Tour de Yorkshire in 2018.

“This builds on the fantastic time we had when Stage 3 started in our multi-award winning City Park in May earlier this year, which saw vast numbers of spectators take to the streets in the district to celebrate and cheer the riders on.

"These events are an excellent boost for the district financially.”

Next year’s Tour will see the return of the Maserati Tour de Yorkshire Ride sportive, and give the chance for Tour Makers to volunteer on the race route and help welcome the millions of spectators.

The full 2018 race route will be unveiled at The Piece Hall in Halifax on Tuesday December 5 2017 – this announcement will include exact start and finish locations and the distance and profile of each stage.