Three quarters of a million watched the Tour of Britain in Gloucestershire
The county council says the sums have been done - looking at those who came in person, and watched on the TV
Last updated 9th Nov 2023
Official figures have confirmed more then three quarters of a million people watched the tour of Britain in Gloucestershire.
The county council says the sums have been done - looking at those who came in person, and watched on the telly.
It’s estimated that hosting the race brings £3.5 million into the Gloucestershire economy.
This year's Tour of Britain
This year's Stage Seven brought the Tour of Britain to Tewkesbury Abbey, on Church Street, before heading east into the Cotswolds before heading south.
The riders then rode north up through the Stroud valleys before finishing on Southgate Street in Gloucester.
In all, they travelled 170.9 kilometres during the stage - with huge crowds lining the route, and showing off the best the county has to offer.
The Tour of Britain has announced viewing figures for each of the eight stages.
Gloucestershire’s stage saw 25,000 people attend the start in Tewkesbury, with 25,000 people also watching the finish in Gloucester.
These figures were in addition to 175,000 spectators on the route around the county, with an estimated 225,000 watching the race in person.
Only the opening stage in Manchester saw more fans take to the roadsides than Gloucestershire.
377,000 people watched the race live on TV, whilst 194,000 people tuned into ITV's highlights programme - meaning an extra 571,000 enjoyed the race.
It means that 796,000 people saw Norway’s Rasmus Tiller take victory in a sprint on Gloucester’s Southgate Street.
The county council sponsored stage seven of the race to bring the Tour of Britain to Gloucestershire - which the local authority confirmed aligned with their commitment to supporting tourism, the local economy and active travel, such as walking and cycling.
It is estimated that hosting the race brings £3.5 million into the Gloucestershire economy.
Across the eight stages, 58% of people travelled just to see the race and 54% of spectators were inspired to cycle more often.
Cllr David Gray, Cabinet member responsible for the environment at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “These latest figures show just what a success bringing the Tour of Britain to Gloucestershire was. I’d like to thank all those who got behind it from our own staff to local businesses, the hospitality sector, cycling groups and those who came out to cheer on the incredible athletes.
“The race allowed us to show off everything good about Gloucestershire, and the numbers we can showcase here today show just how much the county has benefited.
“Bringing world-class cyclists to our county also plays an important role in inspiring people to get on their bikes and bringing new tourists to Gloucestershire. It is part of our on-going support for cycling, as well as the cycle spine that we are currently building which will make getting on your bike more accessible for our residents.”