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

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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