Tour de Yorkshire race spectators 'spent £50m'

Fans in Scarborough cheer on the peloton during the first stage of the Tour de Yorkshire

The first Tour de Yorkshire cycle race saw spectators spend almost £50m, according to research commissioned by organisers Welcome to Yorkshire.

The race was held over three days in May, with starts or finishes at Bridlington, Leeds, Scarborough, Selby, York and Wakefield.

The tourism body said the event was seen by more than 1.2 million people.

In 2016, the three-day men's race is to start on 29 April, with a women's race on 30 April.

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There were one million spectators at the race with about one in five from outside Yorkshire, said Welcome to Yorkshire. Some of those attended more than one day of the event, boosting the overall figure.

'Grandest Grand Depart'

The new race was set up after the successful Tour de France Grand Depart was held in Yorkshire during 2014.

Those scenes prompted the tour's race director Christian Prudhomme to describe 2014 as the "grandest Grand Depart".

Spending by all spectators at the Tour de Yorkshire amounted to £49,711,436 and the average stay for visitors from outside the county was two and half nights, according to the survey of the race.

The total included accommodation costs and spending on items such as food, drink, transport and souvenirs.

The survey was conducted by independent research agency GRASP, using 1,500 respondents who were questioned at a race stage or online.

The data was analysed by Leeds Beckett University.