New figures show that the world-famous AJ Bell Tour of Britain cycle race boosted Mansfield’s local economy by more than £525,000 when it returned to Nottinghamshire last September.

An economic impact assessment commissioned by the event’s organisers reveals that it generated £4.34m in net visitor expenditure for Nottinghamshire’s economy — with 225,000 fans lining the 116-mile route.

In Mansfield, which hosted the final eight miles of stage five of the race, the total spend was calculated as £525,015, mostly on accommodation and food and drink.

The average daily spend for day visitors was more than £48, while overnight visitors spent more than £135 with 86% of people saying the experience was very enjoyable.

The total spend in Mansfield was up from £390,752 in 2018 when the district last hosted the race. And while attendance in Mansfield was down by 10,000 compared to 2018, the average spend per person was higher.

Mansfield Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “This is a fantastic boost for the district. It showed Mansfield at its best and demonstrated our ability to host major international events such as this.

“We look forwards to hosting more of these kinds of prestigious events in the future in this area as a way of regenerating our local economy and showing the wider world what we know already — that Mansfield is a great destination, and that we are ambitious and open for business.

“I hope local people feel the same sense of pride that I feel about how the community came together.

“After their previous positive experience of working with the council, the race organisers were willing to extend the number of miles the route took in Mansfield so that more parts of the district were able to join in.

“I would like to extend a huge thank you to the communities of Warsop, Mansfield Woodhouse and Forest Town for their support in the build-up to the race and their enthusiastic cheer-point events and activities on the day — we could not have done it without them.”

Coun Ben Bradley, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Mansfield MP, said the event was a huge success.

“These figures once again highlight how Nottinghamshire can successfully host an international event of this magnitude as well as being a tourist destination that people want to visit and return to in the future,” he added.

“The findings really are the icing on the cake after what was truly a stage to remember — especially for the fans who travelled here in their thousands to watch the race pass through our county.”

The race also took in parts of Newark and Sherwood, including Blidworth and Edwinstowe.

The leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, Coun David Lloyd, said: “Residents in our rural towns and villages in Southwell and Edwinstowe enjoyed a fantastic day of fast-paced cycling.

“Not only did the Tour help boost business in those areas, but for our communities, it was much more about the social impact with the next generation of budding cycling enthusiasts being inspired.”