£800,000 funding to support Tour De Yorkshire

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced £300,000 of funding to pay for international marketing to attract visitors to the Tour De Yorkshire.

A further £500,000 will be used to improve cycling facilities around Yorkshire.

Wakefield was chosen as one of the six start or finish lines for the first ever Tour de Yorkshire.

A section of the race will depart from Wakefield city centre and head towards Barnsley and Huddersfield, before finishing in Leeds.

The event will follow Yorkshire hosting part of the Tour De France, which saw thousands of people arrive in the county to watch international cycling stars last summer.

Mr Clegg said: “Yorkshire wore the yellow jersey with pride last year, with an incredible staging of the Tour de France Grand Depart. The Tour de Yorkshire this summer is the perfect opportunity to build on this lasting legacy, attracting visitors again, which in turn will boost business in the region.”

The investment will pay for new cycle circuits around Yorkshire, helping thousands of cyclists take part in the sport away from traffic.

Minister for Sport Helen Grant said: “British Cycling has been a great success story in recent years and I want the sport to continue to grow at all levels. This funding will not only strengthen cycling in Yorkshire but also promote the area to tourists through the first Tour de Yorkshire this Spring.”

Yorkshire’s local economy benefited to the tune of over £100 million when it hosted the Tour de France Grand Depart last year.

The organisers of the Tour de France, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), were so impressed with Yorkshire’s role in staging the biggest cycle race in the world that they agreed to stage a new international road race this year, working in partnership with local tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire.

The Tour de Yorkshire will run from Friday May 1 to Sunday May 3. Stage one begins in Bridlington and finished in Scarborough, stage two will begin in Selby and finish in York, while the third stage starts in Wakefield and will finish in Leeds.