Subscribe to trusted local news
If you are accessing this story via Facebook but you are a subscriber then you will be unable to access the story. Facebook wants you to stay and read in the app and your login details are not shared with Facebook. If you experience problems with accessing the news but have subscribed, please contact subscriptions@thestrayferret.co.uk. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
07
Sept
Was Tour of Britain a success in Boroughbridge, Ripon and Pateley Bridge?
About 100 of the world’s leading cyclists raced through Boroughbridge, Ripon and Pateley Bridge on Saturday (September 5).
They were taking part in the Helmsley to Leyburn stage of the Tour of Britain men's race.
But did the return of a major cycling event to the district, after the 2014 Tour de France and the 2019 UCI Road World Championships, generate the kind of tourism boost hoped for?
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority paid British Cycling £350,000 to host a stage of the event in 2026 and 2027.
Additionally, North Yorkshire Council agreed to spend £400,000 on the operational costs.
According to the combined authority, hosting a stage is estimated to generate between £2 million and £12 million. So is the £750,000 cost likely to prove money well spent?
It is difficult to quantify the value at this stage but we reached out to individuals and organisations in the three areas in the Harrogate district that the tour passed through on Saturday to get some initial thoughts.
Derek Hufton, president of Boroughbridge Chamber of Trade, said he had heard anecdotally the town was busier on Saturday and this appeared to boost trade. But he said he wasn’t aware of any increased take-up of rooms.
Mr Hufton added:
I think the majority of visitors came in on the day for the event. It's also worth commenting that there was very little in terms of local publicity in the build-up to the race - certainly nothing special from North Yorkshire Council. We did publicise it in advance to our members.
Boroughbridge does normally get a lot of transient cyclists who occasionally stop off for refreshments, so it is on the map for cyclists which may have helped the footfall for the event. Overall, it does appear that it had a positive business impact.
The Tour of Britain passes through Pateley Bridge.
Neil Dunkley, who owns independent bike shop Moonglu in Ripon, which also has a cycle racing team, said the tour was “definitely a success” even though this event was not on the same scale as the 2014 Tour de France and 2019 world championships.
Mr Dunkley said:
It’s fantastic to see a major UK cycling event back on the roads of Yorkshire. The success cannot be measured on the day alone, the success comes with the increased profile of Yorkshire. The event was televised on TNT Sports and some of the scenery, particularly near Redmire was spectacular. I ride these roads all the time and it’s easy to become conditioned to the landscape. It’s easy to forget how lucky we are.
However, Mr Dunkley added that he, too, thought more could have been done to promote the event.
Pie boost in Pateley
One of the best places to see the riders race by was Pateley Bridge High Street, where crowds gathered.
Despite this, there appears to be little evidence of a significant boost to the town’s economy on the day.
Butchers H Weatherhead and Sons told us it was a normal Saturday, although pie sales were up.
Road closures associated with the event may have deterred some visitors.
But the hours of free-to-air TV coverage on ITV may have sold North Yorkshire as a tourism destination to viewers.
What do you think — will this prove to be money well spent?
3