CUMBRIA showed its passion for cycling as thousands of people lined the county's streets to watch some of the world's top riders in the Aviva Tour of Britain.

Over 5,000 people made the climb to Hartside Pass to watch Team Sky rider Wout Poelsthe claim victory in an exciting finish to stage five of Britain's premier cycling race.

The economic benefits will become clearer towards the end of the year once an independent analysis has been done, but it is hoped that the event will have been even more popular than the £4.1m boost experienced in 2013.

Cllr David Southward, the county council's cabinet member for economic development, said: "Great crowds, great weather and a great sporting spectacle will be etched into memories for years to come – not just among the people in Cumbria who saw the races, but also among those who came to the county to see the riders and those who saw our magnificent landscape on television.

"From the number of decorated bikes out on the route, I’d be very surprised if there’s any yellow paint left in this county."

The county was involved in hosting two stages of the race this year, with stage three leaving Cockermouth last Tuesday and stage five on Thursday.

The latter stage left Prudhoe in Northumberland before passing through Brampton, south of Carlisle, Lazonby, across the shore of Ullswater and Penrith before the 8km climb from Melmerby to the summit of Hartside.

ITV4’s highlights coverage described the stage as the 'biggest crowds we've seen this year in the Tour of Britain' while commentators also complemented the support shown in towns and villages along both routes, remarking on the fantastic array of yellow bikes, bunting and artwork produced by communities.

They made a particular point of congratulating those who had made the effort to get up to Hartside by bike and by boot, saying; “The crowd is absolutely tremendous. It's a brilliant turnout, generously supporting all the riders."

Cllr Southward added: "Cumbria has developed an excellent working relationship with the organisers of the Tour.

"While competition is tough with other local authority areas of the country to stage the race, we hope to continue to work with them on bringing great cycling events back to Cumbria in the future and working with local partners and sponsors to make that happen.

"It’s too early to confirm any details at this stage, and obviously the financial climate for the council is challenging, but with the right local support we hope to make this happen again.”