THE VAST size of the crowds which lined practically every yard of the Tour de France’s passage through the Bradford district and the rest of Yorkshire in 2014 left both race organisers and the cycling superstars taking part genuinely staggered.

Never before in the famous race’s history had so many people lined the route for the opening stages.

That huge public enthusiasm, and Yorkshire’s dramatic appeal, proved the driving force for the creation of the Tour de Yorkshire in 2015, something which is now an annual race of growing stature on professional cycling’s international calendar.

Bradford will host the start of the third and final stage of this year’s race on Sunday, April 30, with the riders passing through the towns of Shipley, Ilkley, Keighley and Haworth.

And you can be sure that Tour fever will once again abound every step of the way.

An army of tour volunteers is being recruited and people across the district are being urged to help make banners to provide a “river of colour” along the route.

Hoteliers and other business owners are also being given expert advice about how to make the most of the opportunities brought by the influx of thousands of visitors.

The race will also be screened across the world giving a spectacular shop window for the district’s tourism industry.

The economic benefits of the three-day race are already firmly established. Last year it was estimated to have brought in £60 million.

The potential boosts to the district, both now and into the future, are opportunities not to be missed.