The world’s biggest cycling race is set to make a historical return to Great Britain as both the men’s and women’s Tour de France Grand Départs are set to commence in Edinburgh’s city centre for the 2027 tournament.
This will mark the first time that the annual tournament has taken place in Scotland, with the men’s Grand Departs having taken place in London back in 2007 and Yorkshire in 2014.
The commencement of the women’s race, Tour de France Femmes, will be also be experiencing its first UK Grand Départ since it was introduced two years ago, and it will be taking place in the same country outside France for the first time.
Stages of the competition will be held in across Britain with three different stages following a route through Scotland, England, and into Wales, with the organisers of the event expecting for millions of fans to be lining along the streets to watch.
The details of the exact route will be announced in the autumn, but Glasgow, the Lake District and Manchester are expected to experience the tournament with a likely finish in Cardiff before it continues into France.
Christian Prudhomme, the General Director of the Tour de France said, “Britain has always welcomed the Tour with enthusiasm and pride, and this collaboration across England, Scotland, and Wales promises to make the event even more special.”
Mark Cavendish, retired British cyclist and record tournament winner, has expressed his excitement over Scotland’s involvement and how he believes “Edinburgh fits perfectly into what the Tour is about, it’s only going to inspire.”
The 2025 Men’s Grand Départ is set to commence in Lille, France on Saturday 5th July and finish in Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday 27th July. The Women’s race will start in Brittany, Northwestern France on Saturday 26th July and will finish at the Col de la Madeleine in the Alps on Sunday 3rd August.
The most recent winners of the tournament in 2024 were Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar who won the men’s, and Polish cyclist Katarzyna Niewiadoma winning the Femmes.
Featured image credit: The NEN
Third year journalism student at Stirling University