They really will be going “quackers” when the Tour de France hits Holmfirth.

Crowds of up to 60,000 are expected to pack into the Holme Valley for the world’s top cycle race when it hits town on Sunday, July 6.

And organisers of the annual Holmfirth Duck Race hope they will be able to cash in on the crowds to raise a huge amount for charity.

The Duck Race has been held at the Sands recreation ground and Holmfirth town centre for years and this year will be no different.

But because of Le Tour, organisers are bringing in many hundreds more ducks and have upped the prize money on offer.

Andrew Sparks, of Huddersfield Pendragon Round Table, said: “We are hosting the Duck Race on the first Sunday in July as per usual, but with a bit of a twist. This year we are excited it coincides with the Holmfirth leg of Le Tour De France.

“We’ll be hosting the usual games, food and drink throughout the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday this year including a large outdoor screen broadcasting movies on Saturday evening, and bringing family fun to the area before the bikes arrive and after they’ve left.

“Our people will be there on the Saturday, 24 hours before the race, and long after they have gone through.

This year we’ll be letting off more ducks than ever before and upping our top prize from £1,000 to £3,000. Since Le Tour brought in so many more ducks and there will be so many people on site, we thought it only fair to make the prize a little more appealing.

“We hope to make a little piece of history by broadcasting our favourite yellow athletes to the entire world.

“We’d advise visitors to keep an eye on local road closures and to keep traffic in mind when travelling and finding places to park; an early start is recommended. It’s going to be quite a party this year”.

Tickets for the ducks go on sale next week.

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