Yorkshire.com has provided a perfect summary of three magical days for the UK.
The events of the UK stages of the 2014 Tour De France went off without a hitch. Thousands of people were captivated and lined the route in its entirety from its start in Leeds through to Harrogate in stage 1, from York to Sheffield in stage 2, and Cambridge to London in stage 3.
Every county was bathed in pride (Yorkshire was, of course, the proudest). But what other benefits were there?
A whole generation of people have been inspired by cycling, which will translate to increased uptake and participation in the hobby. To quantify this, of people surveyed since the Tour, 2 million have been inspired to cycle more regularly, and 1 million have turned this inspiration into action! Beyond being a great statistic, the knock-on implications for transport infrastructure, fitness, the environment, and so much more are phenomenal.
Some of the infrastructure planned and built around the Tour demonstrates this legacy in action: the Bradford to Leeds Superhighway, the York Velodrome, improved cycle networks in Leeds, and many more.
The Tour saw a £128 million boost to Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and London, with more expected as part of the event’s legacy. This is a colossal sum, we’re sure you’ll agree!
Not only this, but the areas of the UK visited by the tour have seen a boost in numbers since the event, with over 500,000 having visited again since the race, and 800,000 saying they’d recommend the areas to friends and family.
And of course, while the bunting and road markings may eventually disappear, the route itself will always be there for the public to enjoy! Some of the areas visited by the stage 1 route are resoundingly beautiful, and we operate rides there frequently. Check out this video of the Google corporate bike ride this July, which followed the route. 160 kilometres, 1 day, and some great feedback: “the route is amazing”, “looking forward to the rest of the day”, “good crowd of people, great organisation!”.
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