Top Norwegian rider Lars Petter Nordhaug won a stunning victory in the first-ever Tour de Yorkshire.
But the real winner was Yorkshire, with police estimating anything up to 1.5m people turning out across the county to watch three days of fabulous racing.
And Welcome To Yorkshire believe the race could have brought up to £40m to the economy.
Half of those were on the streets of Huddersfield, Calderdale and West Yorkshire for today’s final stage, which ended in Roundhay Park, Leeds, after a dramatic day taking riders through places including Denby Dale, New Mill, Holmfirth, Marsden, Slaithwaite and Ripponden.
And the organisers of the big race are already looking ahead to next year, with hopes of a repeat of the Tour.
One of those delighted with the race was New Mill teenager Gabz Cullaigh, who enjoyed his time alongside the likes of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Olympic track star Ed Clancy and former World Champion Samuel Sanchez.
Cullaigh said as he finished: “I’m still buzzing.
“I loved every minute of it all and it was electrifying to come through my home village and get the response I did”.
Belgian Ben Hermans won the third and final stage of the inaugural Tour as Team Sky’s Nordhaug hung on to secure overall victory.
BMC Racing’s Hermans attacked with 10 kilometres remaining of the rolling 167km course from Wakefield to Leeds, soon sweeping by the fading solo effort of American Lawson Craddock (Giant-Alpecin) and quickly building a 20-second lead on the way into the finish in Roundhay Park.
That was enough to secure the stage win by a final margin of nine seconds as the peloton behind squabbled over the general classification places, with Nordhaug able to stay with the secondary group and maintain his lead.
In the final standings, the Norwegian won by 11 seconds from BMC’s Samuel Sanchez and Thomas Voeckler of Europcar.
Once again, the Yorkshire public turned out in huge numbers despite a poor forecast and the occasional shower along the way, with the route lined almost from start to finish and only a narrow path clearing for the riders on the biggest climb of the day to the Cow and Calf above Ilkley.
Sir Bradley Wiggins, enjoying something of a lap of honour as he winds down his road racing career, started the day more than 15 minutes down in the general classification and was again well off the back as the leaders crossed the line.
Police praised the fantastic atmosphere created by an early estimate of around three quarters of a million spectators on the third and final day.
Crowds were out in force as the peloton raced out across West Yorkshire under sunny skies and along much of last year’s successful Tour de France route.
Asst Chief Constable Mark Milsom said: ‘‘Despite a somewhat wet start to the day the crowds exceeded all expectations and provided the final stage of this exclusively Yorkshire event with an unparalleled atmosphere.
‘‘At the present time we haven’t taken one report of a crime related to the policing operation today and that speaks volumes of the good natured atmosphere created by spectators who’ve lined the route in their thousands.’’
