South Yorkshire gears up for the Tour De Yorkshire
It's hoped towns like Penistone and Stocksbridge will be "put on the map" when the Tour de Yorkshire passes through in three weeks' time
With three weeks to go, there are hopes for a huge tourism boost as the Tour de Yorkshire passes through South Yorkshire.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out at the end month as the third and final stage of the race finishes in Fox Valley, after passing through Penistone, Oxspring and Thurgoland.
It's hoped the race, which will see some of the world's biggest cycling stars descend on South Yorkshire, will bring in more money and visitors to the towns and villages along the route.
Gary Saunders, from Penistone Town Council, has been involved with preparations for the big day - he's hoping it'll put Penistone on the map:
"Penistone has a lot to offer. It's perhaps not put itself forward well enough in the past as a tourist destination, but it's certainly got everything that's needed to push itself forward so i'm hoping that this puts us at the front of people's minds when they want a day out - if they've had a good experience in Penistone, which i know they will if they come to the tour, they'll want to come back on a regular basis."
Rebecca Barnett's the Show Secretary for Penistone Show - she's helped organise some of the entertainment for the weekend of the Tour De Yorkshire.
She says she's already seen a boost as the race gets closer:
"I have a business here on one of the busiest streets, and already we're getting more and more cyclists coming to try the route to see what it's like. Yesterday I must have seen about 40 cyclists which is quite unusual for a Wednesday in Penistone so I think it'll really boost the area."
Today the race trophy is touring the area as it makes its way around Yorkshire in the run up to the race.
Cycling shop Full Gas Bikes in Fox Valley is just metres from where the finish line will be.
Owner Tony Gibbs is a former pro cyclist himself - he says it's going to be a huge event for the area:
"There's been a buzz about it for three or four months, it's getting really exciting now. You've not just got the race with 25,000 odd people that will be coming to watch the end of the race, you've got the sportif - that's 9,000 people on top of that so it'll be huge.
This is one of the biggest bike races in the world, and it's only in it's third year so it's great to see how it's grown, and it's still growing. It's one of the races that the guys on the continent want to come and ride. It's a massive event and the general public are buying into it now as well, it's not just cyclists.
We're having a party night on the Friday, Saturday everyone will be getting ready for the sportif and picking up their entries and then Sunday we're open from five in the morning till eight at night. So it'll be absolutely manic for us but we're really looking forward to it."
The Tour De Yorkshire takes place from the 28th April until the 30th, with the main race beginning in Bradford at 12:10.