There are hopes that Cornwall could attract a stage of the Tour de France once it has hosted the Tour of Britain.

Cornwall Council agreed to support a bid to host a stage of the Tour of Britain cycle event with hopes that it could come to the county in 2020 two years ago.

This has now come to fruition, with the announcement today (Friday, March 22) that the county will host the first stage of the 2020 Tour of Britain , with 120 riders travelling 170km through Cornwall’s countryside, from Penzance to Bodmin .

And it is hoped that it could lead to a bid to host a stage of the Tour de France in the future.

Cornwall councillor Loic Rich's initial motion put to Cornwall Council said: "With these building blocks in place, within the 10 to 15-year timeframe, Cornwall to host the second stage of the Tour de France, with Wales hosting the first. The race will then move to Brittany, completing the Celtic link."

Crowds will line the streets of Cornwall as Tour of Britain brings millions of pounds to the county, with hopes it will be followed by a stage of the Tour de France

The Truro councillor said the Tour of Britain came to Cornwall then it would also attract more visitors and more cycling tourists to visit the county.

Mr Rich said he believed it was a “realistic” plan to bring the Tour de France to Cornwall.

He said: “It would be fantastic to bring it here – Cornwall is a great place for cycling and we have some beautiful scenery and locations.

“But I would hope that the legacy of this would be to get more people into cycling and taking part in the sport.”