RECORD numbers of people turned out to watch this year's Devon Stage of The Tour of Britain.

An independent report commissioned by The Tour has revealed that the Devon Stage, hosted by Devon County Council, on September 20 attracted 250,000 spectators.

The largest ever crowd to a Devon Stage saw history in the making as the route from Sidmouth to Haytor on Dartmoor provided the first summit finish in the modern era of the race, which was won by young Great Britain rider Simon Yates.

On the way to Haytor the stage passed through Moretonhampstead.

The report highlights that the 10th anniversary edition of Britain's biggest professional cycle race generated almost £5.9 million of additional spending in the county as crowds lined the 85-mile route.

The event attracted more than 188,000 day-only visitors in Devon, with around a further 62,000 people staying overnight in the county to be part of the UK's largest free-to-watch sporting event.

A TV audience of more than 2.8 million people in the UK tuned into the coverage of the Devon Stage on ITV4 and Eurosport.

The race was also broadcast to 166 countries worldwide, with South America, the Middle East and North Africa all receiving coverage for the first time.

Sir Bradley Wiggins, who was racing in the IG Gold Jersey on his way to winning The Tour overall, proved a massive draw for the crowds, alongside some of cycling's biggest names including Mark Cavendish and Nairo Quintana.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon county council cabinet member for highways, said: 'These are hugely impressive figures for Devon and The Tour of Britain has again shown its worth to our local economy.

'The spending generated by the event demonstrates why we have invested in The Tour in recent years, and Devon has again been highlighted to a global TV audience as an important cycling destination.

'We were fortunate with the weather but the crowds, the atmosphere and the route of the stage, all added to a special day to mark the 10th anniversary Tour. Everyone who turned out really enjoyed the occasion and I'm pleased to see so many people have said that watching The Tour has inspired them to cycle more regularly.'

Bill Hitchins, chairman of Dartmoor National Park Authority, said: 'Dartmoor National Park Authority was delighted to host the first ever summit finish at Haytor. It was a real spectacle to see the world's top cyclists tackling a gruelling hill climb up to Haytor, and it was great to see so many people coming along to watch the race.

'The benefit to the local economy is enormous and we hope that the global television and media coverage will help to boost tourism to the area for years to come.'

Devon has now featured in The Tour over the past seven years. In that time more than a million people have watched the race in Devon along the various stage routes around the county, and it has brought in around £27-million to the local economy. Last year 220,000 spectators watched the stage from Barnstaple to Dartmouth.

For more information on The Tour of Britain go to the website http://www.southwesttourofbritain.co.uk">www.southwesttourofbritain.co.uk and http://www.tourofbritain.co.uk">www.tourofbritain.co.uk and on Twitter follow @SWTourofBritain.