A CYCLING VIP is set to attend a Tour de Yorkshire Roadshow in the Dales tomorrow evening (Thursday, February 23) to help inspire visitors.

Chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire Gary Verity will attend the event at Masham Town Hall with Iwan Spekenbrink, the owner and director of one of cycling’s top world tour teams – Team Sunweb.

One of the team’s riders Marcel Kittel won stage one of the 2014 Tour into Harrogate and it is hoped Mr Spekenbrink’s presence at the roadshow will help inspire the community to harness the tourism opportunities the Tour de Yorkshire presents.

The roadshow, delivered by Welcome to Yorkshire and Harrogate Borough Council, will provide information about what is happening in Masham and across the region during the Tour.

It starts at 5pm and is followed by further roadshows across Yorkshire including one in Whitby on March 7.