Tour de Yorkshire Roadshow Highlights Benefits To Beverley

With the Tour de Yorkshire starting their race this year in Beverley, organisers of the event were in town to provide an insight into the event and what people can do to get involved.

In its second year, the race was formed following the success of Yorkshire hosting a stage for the Tour de France.

While last time round Beverley played a small part, this year the historic town will be the focal point as it hosts the start.

Sarah Saxton, Director of Communications at Welcome to Yorkshire presented to a room of 50 people at the Tickton Grange Hotel. She outlined facts about the race along with the economic benefits it brings to the region.

Figures from the 2015 Tour de Yorkshire show that 1.5m people attended the race and spent £50m in the various towns and villages in and around the route.

Of the people who came to watch, 28pc of them were from outside of Yorkshire with some of those travelling from overseas to watch the cycling.

Organisers also outlined some of things they will activity be encouraging places like Beverley to do during the event as look for Yorkshire to embrace the race.

One of those was to try and encourage people to create ‘Land Art’ themed around cycling and the race.

They say that with the helicopter following the race they will do what they can to get them featured on TV.

While Beverley is staging the start, organisers of the race said that it was not decided who will host the Eve of Tour event.

Mayor of Beverley Peter Astell offered his assurances saying that Beverley knows how to put on an event pointing at recent successes like the Queens Diamond Jubilee.

Cllr Astell however expressed his ‘disappointment’ that no one from EY Events was at the meeting today given that they will be key drivers of what will happen in the town.

It is now down to Beverley to come up with an event to put around the cycling that will be the focus of millions of people on April 29 when the 2016 Tour De Yorkshire sets off.