Tour of Britain's £5m boost for Cumbria

The county hosted stage two of the race in September, when the 117-mile route from Carlisle to Kendal took in many of the areas worst affected by last winter's floods, including Cockermouth and Keswick.

Figures compiled by data analyst Frontline suggest that the economic benefit to Cumbria of £5.36m was greater than on any of the previous six occasions that the county has hosted the event.

Hotels, retailers and transport all benefited.

This year’s Cumbria stage was watched by an estimated 175,000 spectators, up from 105,000 the last time Cumbria hosted the Tour in 2015.

Frontline also found that:

* 60 per cent of visitors came from outside Cumbria and 34 per cent stayed overnight;

* Average spend by overnight visitors was £98 per group;

* 89 per cent of visitors described the race as “very enjoyable”;

* 58 per cent said they were inspired to cycle more often;

* 1.165m viewers watched television coverage on ITV4.

The undoubted highlight of the stage was the brutal climb of The Struggle to the top of Kirkstone Pass, where spectators lined the road to urge the riders on.

Councillor David Southward, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for economic development, said: “The Tour of Britain has once again delivered many benefits to Cumbria – boosting the local economy to the tune of more than £5m, giving people another memorable day and encouraging more cycling.

“Hosting the Tour was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our county’s magnificent landscape and remind an international audience that Cumbria is back to its glorious best after last winter’s floods.

“The Tour of Britain is one of the highest profile sporting events in the country and bringing the race to Cumbria was a real team effort, with delivery partners and sponsors all supporting what was another marvellous sporting spectacle.

“We have formed a good relationship with The Tour of Britain and hope to be able to work with them to bring back the tour in future years.”