Sir Gary Verity, the man who brought the Grand Depart of the Tour de France to Britain in 2014, has resigned as chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire after an investigation into his expenses.
In a statement, the organisation said the 54-year-old had stepped down due to ill health, but added that 'concerns have been raised in relation to his behaviour towards staff and his expenses'.
Since the Tour visited Yorkshire five years ago, Verity had been the face of the region's growing association with the sport.
Sir Gary Verity (above) has resigned as chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire
The hugely successful Tour de Yorkshire will be staged for a fifth time in May, and the UCI Road Cycling World Championships will take place in the region in September.
Welcome to Yorkshire's statement said: 'The board has investigated (the allegations) and concluded that Sir Gary made errors of judgement regarding his expenses at a very difficult time for him and his family.
'Sir Gary has agreed to voluntarily reimburse Welcome to Yorkshire for monies owed.
'Welcome to Yorkshire is committed to having a positive working environment and would like to thank all our staff for their continued hard work and dedication and look forward to working with them as the organisation progresses.'
Verity was the man who brought the Grand Depart of the Tour de France to Britain in 2014
Verity lost his sister in January and had spoken publicly about how much her death had affected him.
Following the announcement of his resignation, Verity said: 'Over the last 10 and a half years I have always tried to set the highest standards of personal performance and leadership.
'Where this has been achieved, I am grateful and when, on occasions, I have fallen short, I apologise. My health is now my main priority. I ask for time and space to heal.
'It has been
