The award also aims to acknowledge cities and regions which host the UCI's major events, with Yorkshire joined by Fyn in Denmark, Gelderland and Woensdrecht in The Netherlands and Heusden-Zolder in Belgium.

Yorkshire is poised to stage the 2019 UCI Road World Championships, with the English county previously staging the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ.

The annual Tour de Yorkshire race has been held since 2015, while a series of multi-year cycling strategies were implemented across its 22 local authorities.

These efforts, spearheaded by the organisation Welcome to Yorkshire and the not-for-profit Cycle Yorkshire, has led to a dedicated annual budget specifically for cycling.

The budget is used to target events, infrastructure, training, education and tourism, with the region hoping to achieve the aim of giving every child in Yorkshire access to a bike.

Woensdrecht has been rewarded for their efforts in establishing an ambitious plan for 2016 to 2020, which is aimed at strengthening and expanding local cycling opportunities.

Their plan includes the expansion of recreational route networks, themed routes with bicycle facilities, infrastructure and facilities for competitive cyclists, support for elite athletes' education and the promotion of physical activity among the elderly, the disabled and low-income communities.

Maintenance of roads and a road safety policy aimed at promoting alertness has also been highlighted.

Hoogerheide, which lies at the centre of Woensdrecht, has also served as a host of an annual Cyclo-cross World Cup.

The Dutch province of Gelderland will host the 2018 Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn.

Its roads are deemed to feature nearly 90 per cent separate cycling infrastructure, with their main target being to promote bike use.

Apeldoorn previously organised the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in 2015, with the velodrome poised to do so again in 2019.

Fyn in Denmark has been rewarded for their efforts to become the most attractive cycling holiday destination in northern Europe from 2020, as part of their cycling tourism strategy called Bike Island 2020.

The Danish island's strategy includes 12 major initiatives focused on increasing the levels of cycling within the region, including infrastructure improvements and tourism partnerships.

Heusden-Zolder is an annual host of Cyclo-cross and BMX Supercross World Cups.

The Belgian municipality, which in 2019 will stage the BMX World Championships, have focused their cycling policy on delivering sport, tourism and daily use.

The UCI said the city is a strong partner in all community sports events, in addition to supporting important investments in cycling infrastructure and initiatives to promote bike safety.

"We are very pleased to expand our network of UCI Bike Cities and regions and I would like to congratulate the five new recipients for the excellent work they carry out in their respective communities to develop cycling in all its forms," said UCI President Brian Cookson.

"They are shining examples of what can be achieved.

"We look forward to promoting their ambitious projects and hope these will inspire other countries to develop bike-friendly environments for their communities and visitors."

The awards were made at the UCI Road World Championships, which are currently ongoing here in Bergen.

The Norwegian city were one of three cities and regions which were awarded the Bike City label by the governing body in 2016.

Drenthe and Limburg-Valkenburg, both located in The Netherlands, were also named Bike Cities last year.