The Vélo Birmingham cycling event will next be held in spring 2019.

The inaugural 100-mile closed-roads ride took place last September and it was initially planned to return this September.

But organisers have now announced it will take place in spring next year although there is no firm date yet.

The ride started and finished in Birmingham's Broad Street and took in areas such as the Black Country, Worcestershire and Staffordshire.

Around 15,000 cyclists took part in last September's ride, the second biggest closed-road cycling event ever in the UK, with estimates suggesting £2 million was raised for charity.

Although it was broadly welcomed, it did attract some protests with cyclists having to ride over items such as nails glass and razor blades which had been thrown onto the roads.

Drivers also complained about poor organisation and confusion over diversions and reopening of roads.

Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward said afterwards that lessons would be learned from the event.

Vélo Birmingham said it hoped longer daylight hours at a spring sportive would provide a significantly improved rider experience.

Cyclists prepare to start the Vélo Birmingham sportive last September
Cyclists prepare to start the Vélo Birmingham sportive last September

A new route is also currently under development.

Coun Ward said: "We're excited to welcome Vélo Birmingham back to the city.

"The 2017 event was a huge success for Birmingham and is an important part of the city's cycling strategy.

"The benefits of major events are well known and our cycling strategy is clear - we want to get the Midlands cycling and we plan for Vélo Birmingham to become a key legacy project as we build towards the 2022 Commonwealth Games."

Jon Ridgeon, chairman of event organisers CSM Active, added: "Whilst the inaugural Vélo Birmingham was a huge success, it was clear to us that some changes would be necessary if the event was to reach its long-term potential.

"Together with our partners Birmingham City Council, we are determined to ensure this wonderful event continues to develop and evolve, becoming not just bigger and better but also more inclusive and appealing to as wide an audience as possible.

"The move from September to the spring along with the new route will provide us with a fantastic, sustainable long-term platform from which to grow in years to come and we can't wait to return with an even more spectacular event in 2019."