THE wheels have barely stopped spinning after this year's Tour de Yorkshire - but with more than one million spectators turning out to watch the event it has already been hailed a coup for the county’s tourism industry.

There are signs the hugely successful three-day event has provided another huge boost to Yorkshire pride, just ten months after the Grand Depart whizzed through the county.

Race organiser Gary Verity, head of Welcome to Yorkshire, anticipated that the race would boost the county's economy by £30 to £40 million.

Speaking before the event he said: “From the point of view of Yorkshire and growing the economy here and the culture of cycling, this has to be a successful event.”

More than 250,000 spectators are believed to have turned out to witness the first day of the tour and catch a glimpse of cycling icons including Sir Bradley Wiggins as the race threaded its way through East and North Yorkshire.

On Friday they watched the race pass through some of the most scenic parts of North Yorkshire including Whitby, Scarborough, Ryedale and the North York Moors, while on Saturday (May 2) 450,000 turned out to watch the second stage which finished in York.

It’s less than a year since the county welcomed the first stage of the Tour de France, and this time it was the North York Moors National Park, rather than the Yorkshire Dales which enjoyed its time in the limelight.

Dramatic shots of the peloton making its way over the Moors’ heather landscape and the green valleys around Rosedale, as well as climbing away from the coast and Whitby Abbey made for some spectacular images from Friday’s opening stage.

Team Sky sporting director, Rod Ellingworth said the atmosphere was as “good as last year”, citing the crowds which lined the towns and villages.

Yesterday’s race (Saturday, May 2) saw a nail-biting sprint finish near York’s racecourse at the Knavesmire where enthusiastic crowds saw Dutch rider Moreno Hofland win stage two.

In the suburbs and centre of York, crowds began to line the barriers several hours before the peloton passed – the cyclists’ arrival hailed by police sirens and police outriders who first became a hit with waiting crowds during last year’s Grand Depart.

Earlier in the day (Saturday, May 2), spectators had also taken in the women’s race, which finished in York and was won by Louise Mahe from London. They were waved off by British Cycling president Bob Howden, watched by Tour de France boss Christian Prudhomme and Gary Very.

Mr Howden said the women's race was an important part of the British cycling calendar and could only get better.

The race, which finished at Roundhay Park in Leeds today (Sunday, May 3) was won by Norwegian Lars-Petter Nordhaug.

David Cameron took time out from the General Election campaign to watch the Tour de Yorkshire in West Yorkshire on Sunday. He helped make sure one seven-year-old girl in Addingham got a good view of the cycling action by offering her a piggy-back when she couldn’t see the race because of the crowds.

Race organiser Gary Verity said the race had “exceeded” all their expectations:

“I cannot thank the people of Yorkshire enough for their support," he said.