Edinburgh & Leeds to host Tour de France starts in 2027

Edinburgh and Leeds will host the opening stages of the men’s and women’s Tour de France in 2027, with the UK Government saying it will be “the most accessible major sporting spectacle ever held in Britain”.

It is estimated the Grand Departs of both races will “pass within an hour’s drive of 60% of the population”, with free spectating along more than 900km (559 miles) of public roads.

The first stage of the men’s race will start in Edinburgh and finish in Carlisle, while the women’s Tour will get under way in Leeds and head to Manchester.

Following the men’s opening 184km (114 mile) stage on 2 July, the peloton will face a 223km (139 mile) route from Keswick to Liverpool, followed by a third stage of the same length from Welshpool to Cardiff.

In the women’s event, which begins on 30 July, riders will leave Manchester for a second stage through the Peak District to Sheffield, before the final stage in London on 1 August.

2027 will be the first time both the men’s and women’s Grand Departs have taken place in the same country outside France.

It will mark the first time the Tour de France Femmes has ever started outside mainland Europe.

The Tours are the world’s biggest free-to-watch sporting events and British Cycling says it is looking to recruit 7,000 volunteers to help with route operations, spectator support and community engagement.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said staging the races is forecast to boost the UK economy by £150m.

“Together the races will be the most accessible major sporting spectacle ever held in Britain,” the DCMS said.

Sports minister Stephanie Peacock has announced £32m of funding to support the staging of the Grand Departs and their legacy.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the races will “will unite the nations and show off the best of Britain” and “give people reason to feel proud of where they live”.

British Cycling chief executive Jon Dutton said he hopes the six stages can boost the sport’s popularity and “create lasting change for communities right across Britain”.

In December, the organisation’s latest company accounts revealed its member count had fallen by more than 11,000 people in a year.

Three stages of the men’s Tour were held in England in 2014, with crowds at the roadside estimated at 4.8 million.

This time, stages in Scotland, England and Wales will visit the likes of Edinburgh Castle, the Lake District and the Brecon Beacons.

Tour de France general director Christian Prudhomme said the UK has always welcomed the famous race “with passion and pride”, and the routes chosen “reflect the beauty and diversity of Britain’s terrain”.

Former world champion Lizzie Deignan, one of Britain’s most successful road cyclists, said the arrival of the women’s edition to the UK “is a huge moment for the sport and an opportunity that will inspire countless women and girls to get on their bikes”.

The first men’s Tour de France was held in 1903, while the Tour de France Femmes was launched in 2022.