RICHMOND Town Council is giving away 100 bicycle templates to businesses in the town, to help them welcome the Tour de Yorkshire.

Local businesses can call into the town hall in the Market Place and collect a bicycle template ahead of the arrival of the major cycle race departing from Richmond on Saturday, May 5.

There will be a window-judging contest in Richmond for the best decorated bike and a contest for the best overall window display.

The town hall is open five days a week between 9.30am and 12.30pm.

This year, for the first time, the tour itself will bring four days of world-class cycling, starting on May 3 and continuing into the Bank Holiday weekend to the final stage on May 6.

On May 5, the third stage of the tour will take place entirely in North Yorkshire, starting in Richmond and finishing in Scarborough. The following day the county will also host more than 70 per cent of the route.