THOUSANDS of fans flocked into Skipton town centre and villages in Craven amid glorious sunshine to watch their cycling heroes race through on Sundays’ stage of the Tour de Yorkshire.

An estimated 2.6 million fans were at the county’s roadsides for the four stages of the race, with a fair proportion of those fans cheering on some of the world’s very best riders through Sutton-in-Craven, Cross Hills, Skipton, Embsay, Eastby, the climb of Barden Moor, Burnsall, Threshfield, Kilnsey and Kettlewell.

And those watching on TV found the bright sunshine and the massive crowds showcasing the Yorkshire Dales to magnificent effect as the riders put the hammer down on Sunday’s final stage, from Halifax to Leeds.

The early stages of the 189.5km stage took in Oxenhope and the cobbled streets of Haworth before competitors tackled the gruelling Cote de Goose Eye. The race also made its second visit to Otley in three days.

Haworth, and its iconic Main Street, was another honeypot for both cycling enthusiasts and those who simply wanted to witness the exciting spectacle.

The stage was won in a superb solo breakaway of more than 100 kilometres by Frenchman Stephane Rossetto, of the Cofidis team, while Olympic road race champion Greg van Avermaet of BMC was the overall race winner after placing consistently highly throughout the previous three stages and taking second place on the last stage.

This was the first year that the Tour de Yorkshire has been held over four days, with the women’s race, won by US cyclist Megan Guarnier, raced over the first two days of the event.

The Tour de Yorkshire started in 2015 as a ‘legacy race ‘ following the previous year’s visit of the Tour de France to England for its first three stages.

Craven had again done itself proud as the Tour de Yorkshire passed through the area, said Cllr Richard Foster, leader of Craven District Council.

He maintained: “Our towns and villages looked spectacular and the event drew thousands of people to our beautiful district, which was great for our local businesses.

“This was also another opportunity for us to showcase our area to the world, as images of our countryside were beamed to audiences around the globe.

“Many thanks to all the organisers, marshals, tour-makers and spectators, who helped to make this a truly memorable occasion.”

Cllr Foster’s sentiments were echoed by North Yorkshire councillors, with the county hosting part of stage 2, all of stage 3, which started in Richmond and finished in Scarborough, and the majority of Stage 4.

The council’s executive member for highways, Cllr Don Mackenzie, said that North Yorkshire’s highways teams had built on the experience of the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014 and the Tour de Yorkshire in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and had worked hard to prepare the race route, ensuring that traffic was kept moving, disruption was kept to a minimum and that the race itself passed without incident in the county.

He added: ‘‘The Tour de Yorkshire becomes more popular every year and is supported right across the county. We build on experience from previous years to organise road closures with the aim of causing the least disruption to residents and businesses on the route. We would also like to thank spectators who turned out in droves to support the race, and road users for not parking on the route. This can be the cause of a major headache for us on the day, so everyone’s co-operation is greatly appreciated. We look forward to welcoming the Tour de Yorkshire back to our county again next year after the success of this year’s race and make the most of the economic benefits the race brings.’’

Welcome to Yorkshire’s chief executive, Sir Gary Verity, said: “I’m so proud of the last four days. It takes such a lot of work to make this race happen. All the highways teams and local authorities across Yorkshire worked so hard to make sure everything was ready and we’re hugely grateful to the emergency services as well.

“This race wouldn’t be what it is without our great partners, and of course, I like to say a massive thank you to all the male and female riders who came and produced such a gripping event. Greg Van Avermaet was a more than worthy winner and that gutsy ride from Stéphane Rossetto will live long in the memory.

“Finally, I have to mention the crowds as well. Once again, they were utterly unbelievable and it was like being back at the 2014 Tour de France. Every start and finish was absolutely rammed and there were so many high points along the route that I’ll need to take a few days to let it all sink in.”

The race may have passed off without incident in North Yorkshire, but not so in West Yorkshire, where a volunteer marshal in Leeds had to leap out of the way of an oncoming race support car. The vehicle, of the Astana team, narrowly missed the marshal, who was wearing a high-visibility tabard and waving a flag to warn cyclists and race vehicles of the central reservation on which he was standing.

He was able to dive out of the way before the car went crashing through the bollards on the reservation. He was unharmed, though shaken, and was able to resume his race duties.