TOURISM chiefs hope volunteering for the Yorkshire leg of the Tour De France will prove as popular as it was for the Olympics.

Welcome to Yorkshire has already received more than 2,500 applications to volunteer for the cycle race, which is due to begin on July 5, 2014.

Leeds will host the start of the epic three week ride and there are hopes the route, due to be announced on January 17, will come through Kirklees and Calderdale.

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive, Gary Verity, said volunteers, called Le Tour Makers, would line the route.

He said: “We need several thousand marshals to help the Grand Départ go smoothly and welcome the millions of visitors who will come to Yorkshire.”

It is thought the event, which will spend two days in the region, will net more than £100m for the Yorkshire economy.

Clr Martyn Bolt, a Kirklees councillor and cycling expert, also backed the idea.

He said: “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get close to the biggest free sports event in the world.

“We saw how successful the Games Makers were at the Olympics and I’m sure it’s something that not just cycling, but sports fans, will want to be a part of.

“Obviously it’s captured the imagination of cycling enthusiasts and now we need to do the same for the rest of the public.”

Sign up at www.yorkshire.com/le-tour-yorkshire/le-tour-makers