Tour of Britain nets £3m for Surrey and Sussex economy, says report

Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot report that stage seven of August's race boosted the economy of Surrey and Sussex by £3m.

Julien Vermote on Ditchling Beacon, Tour of Britain 2014, stage seven

A report by Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot shows that Surrey and Sussex’s economy was boosted by £3m during the race in August, with finish town Brighton benefitting by £1.29m alone.

Stage seven of the Tour saw the riders race 225km from Camberley, Surrey, to Brighton seafront, with Omega Pharma-Quick-Step’s Julien Vermote taking the win.

SweetSpot said the tens of thousands of spectators who lined the route spent an average of about £50 each, which added £1.29m to Brighton’s economy as an estimated 50,000 people lined Madeira Drive for the finale.

Brighton and Hove City councillor Geoffrey Bowden said: “We had a fantastic day and a thrilling finish on Madeira Drive.

“It was great for the city and having the country's most prestigious bike race following on from the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games has helped encourage more people to be active and take up cycling.”

Earlier this week it was reported that Devon’s economy was boosted to the tune of £6m by the Tour, in a stage won by hour record holder Matthias Brändle.

Source: Insider Media

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Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.