The team were founded by five-time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins with the aim of developing young British riders.

They are the sole British UCI Continental team to miss out on competing in next month’s race, which will take place from April 28 to 30.

JLT-Condor, One Pro Cycling, Bike Channel-Canyon, Raleigh-GAC and Madison-Genesis were the five third-tier teams to be selected instead of Team Wiggins.

“It’s very disappointing and it is very much a surprise,” the team’s sports director Simon Cope told Cycling Weekly.

“I don’t really know why, it’s a very strange one.

“I do feel that with the riders we have got, we would have been a top 10 contender in the GC, all things going well.”

There is currently a UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) investigation regarding British Cycling and Team Sky, concerning a "mystery package" delivered for Sir Bradley at the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.

Cope was questioned by a British Parliament Select Committee earlier this month regarding the contents, having delivered the package when he worked for British Cycling.

Despite the publicity surrounding the case in Britain, Cope claimed Team Wiggins would have justified a place at the Tour de Yorkshire.

“Good or bad press at the moment, there’s a percentage of the UK population who will be going to the race who want to see Wiggins there,” he added.

“You would have thought that we would have got in, but the organisers have made their selection and that’s it, we can’t do anything about it.

“We will have to go and find another bike race to do."

Organisers have claimed a high demand for places was behind Team Wiggins omission from a place at the race.

“Quite simply, we had 49 teams apply for the 36 men’s and women’s places on offer," said Welcome To Yorkshire, who run the event with the Amaury Sport Organisation.

“Six British Continental teams applied for the five slots available for those.

“Unfortunately, someone had to miss out and this time it was Team Wiggins.

“We have a good relationship with them, though, and they are welcome to apply for any future editions of the race.”

It will be the third edition of the race, which features on the UCI Europe Tour.

The race was born out of Yorkshire’s successful staging of the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014.

Yorkshire were awarded the 2019 Road World Championships back in October.