The Tour de France cyclists passing through Rayne in the summer
Thousands more people are using Braintree district's leisure centres than two years ago.
The Tour de France, which passed through Finchingfield, Rayne, Felsted, Wethersfield and Shalford in July, is thought to have inspired 28,000 more people using the Braintree, Witham and Halstead centres in the summer.
Fusion Lifestyle, which runs the district's leisure centres on Braintree Council's behalf, has reported generally higher attendance figures for 2013/14 compared to 2012/13.
There were 959,000 visits, an increase of 230,000 on the previous financial year.
Target groups, such as under-16s, over-55s, women, ethnic minorities and disabled people, were also using the centres more.
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