SILSDEN’s mayor said he was pleased that his town been chosen to be part of the Tour De Yorkshire.

Cllr Chris Atkinson expects thousands of cycling fans will again flock to Silsden as the riders speed through on May 3.

He admitted that last year he had initially had concerns about how the town would cope with the Tour de France.

But he said: “I think everyone saw how good it was last year. It was an awesome day.

“I think Silsden will get behind the race again. We thought it was going to be a one-off, but it’s come back. If we get half of what we got last time, I don’t think anyone can complain.”

The Tour de France last year travelled through the centre of Silsden from Addingham towards the Steeton roundabout, but the Tour de Yorkshire will instead skirt the town centre, the riders coming over the hill from Kildwick, passing the Co-op minimarket and heading away up Bolton Road.

Cllr Atkinson understood that Silsden’s Tour de France committee had continued meeting over the past few months to work on ‘legacy’ projects, and would now look at how to make the most of the Tour de Yorkshire.