Edinburgh will host the Grand Départ of the 2027 Tour de France in what will be an historic moment for the race, as well as for the sport of cycling in this country.
The women's event, the Tour de France Femmes, will also visit Scottish shores in two years time, with the men’s and women’s races both passing through England and Wales before crossing the Channel to France.
The Tour de France has twice visited the UK for past editions of the race - in 2007 in London and 2014 in Yorkshire - with legend of the sport, Mark Cavendish, saying Edinburgh is a “perfect fit” for the world’s most famous bike race.
The Tour beginning in Scotland comes two years after this country staged the 2023 Cycling World Championships, at which the men’s road race began in Edinburgh, but the foundations for a Scottish Grand Départ in 2027 were laid long before those World Championships.
“The first discussion I had with Christian (Prudhomme, General Director of ASO which owns Le Tour) was actually in 2007 so that’s an 18 year gestation period,” revealed former Director of Events at Visit Scotland and Bid Chair, Paul Bush.
“It’s like fine wine, it develops with time. It’s been about building confidence and building a relationship. It's been a long journey, but it's been a really positive, constructive journey.”
The 2014 Tour de France began in Yorkshire (Image: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com) What is particularly significant about this event in 2027 is the men’s and women’s races will both begin in the UK, marking the same time both races have started in the same country outside of France.
This was a unique selling point but what was also a considerable factor in the decision to bring the Tour de France to Edinburgh was that the city’s backdrop would perfectly complement the race, which has long showcased some of Europe’s most picturesque scenery. And Scotland will, believes Prudhomme, be a match for even the most stunning locations the race has visited in the past.
"In the Tour de France and also the women’s race, what is very important is the helicopter shots and Edinburgh and Scotland will offer a magnificent backdrop to the Tour,” the Frenchman said.
“The Tour de France is the only sports event that is made for people who don't like sports, because it's geography, it's culture, it's pride.
“People are proud when they see their home from above. All these things are here in the Scottish bid, the British bid.”
Cavendish, who has been hailed as the greatest sprinter in the history of the Tour de France with 35 stage wins, believes that Edinburgh will be a fitting host for the 2027 Grand Départ, and he’s optimistic that having such a significant event come to Scotland can encourage many people to get on their bike.
“Anybody who sees a bike race, especially of this magnitude, you can't help but want to go out and ride your bike,” the Manx rider said.
“The cobbled streets (in Edinburgh) are not comfortable but it makes for a great bike race.
Mark Cavendish has won 35 stages of the Tour de France (Image: Getty Images) “They also make for a good, aesthetic feature on television. What the Tour does best is show the beauty of a country, and of a city, especially if it's an historic city.
“Scotland is a beautiful place and, personally, I’ve always had an incredible welcome here. There’s always really enthusiastic support.
“I don’t think we can quite comprehend what having the Grand Départ here is going to be like - it’s going to be incredible. That's why Edinburgh fits perfectly.”
The exact route the the Grand Départ and the following stages of both the Tour de France and the Tour de Femmes have yet to be finalised, with more detail coming in the autumn, but it’s expected that the men’s race will head to England then Wales for stages two and three while it is, as yet, unconfirmed, in which country the women’s race will begin.
Irrespective of the particular route of each stage, however, there is a hope that this race can have a lasting impact, with British Cycling CEO, John Dutton, optimistic the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes can have a significant impact on not only the towns and cities it visits but also the country as a whole.
“We will reach millions of people in advance and after those six stages in 2027 and so we have an ambitious social impact programme from a sporting perspective, a cultural perspective and a heritage perspective,” Dutton said.
“First, it’s around health and this event making a contribution to getting more people on bikes and more people moving. The second is about creating opportunities whether that be for people to volunteer or simply to come and stand by the roadside, but have a connection to the event. And the third one will be about uniting communities.
“So we think this is great for cycling, great for sport and great for the UK.”
