The rumour of another British Grand Départ – 11 years on from Yorkshire in 2014 – began to circulate last month, and on Wednesday, March 19 the race organisers officially unveiled the news, with the men’s Grand Départ set to start in Edinburgh.
Starting in the Scottish capital, the men’s race will feature stages in Scotland, England and Wales, though exact details of the stages are not expected to be unveiled in the autumn.
The women’s race will also start in the UK, but the host city for that Grand Départ is not yet known and will be among the details revealed later in the year.
2027 will therefore mark the first time that the men’s and women’s Grand Départs have been hosted in the same foreign country. Only in its fourth edition in 2025, the Tour de France Femmes has already ticked off one foreign start in Rotterdam last summer. The race will start in France this year, with no plans unveiled yet for the 2026 start.
On the men’s side, this will be the fifth time that the Tour has visited the UK – after Grand Départs in 2007 and 2014, and stages in 1994 and 1974.
"The Tour de France and the UK share a rich history, and I am delighted to bring the Grand Départ to the country in 2027," Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme said.
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"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."
The event will be a collaboration between various stakeholders in the UK, including British Cycling, UK Sport, the UK Government, and the Scottish and Welsh Governments.
The news was unveiled in Edinburgh, which is set to host the start of the first men’s stage, after the success of various sporting events in the country including the Glasgow ‘super’ World Championships in 2023 – with some events visiting Edinburgh – and the Commonwealth Games in 2014, with a return set for the 2026 Games.
"It is a tremendous honour to welcome the Tour de France to Scotland,” said John Swinney, first minister of Scotland. “We know it is one of the most iconic and inspiring contests in sport, and that Scotland provides the perfect stage for major events. Hosting the Tour promises to be a unique opportunity to showcase our country to its many fans around the world as part of a timeline of incredible sporting events in Scotland from 2026 to 2028."
The big event is also supported by the UK government, with culture secretary Lisa Nandy particularly celebrating the securing of the women’s race as well as the men’s Tour.
"The opportunity to host the Grand Departs of both the men's and women’s Tour de France will cement Britain's reputation as a destination for major international sporting events. This will stimulate growth, attract new visitors and leave a lasting legacy for athletes and fans alike," Nandy said.
"Staging the Tour de France Femmes in Britain for the first time will also be an historic occasion and inspire the next generation of female cyclists while supporting our mission of breaking down barriers for women and girls to get more involved in sport."
As well as the racing, the event is set to be supported by a "landmark social impact programme” in the build-up to July 2027, which will aim to "deliver long-lasting benefits for thousands of people across the country by tackling inactivity, improving mental wellbeing, boosting economic growth and supporting communities to thrive."
"This is not just about the race – it’s about creating a national moment that encourages healthier lifestyles, supports cycle tourism, and brings communities together," said British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton OBE.
The scenes last time the Tour visited the UK (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Yorkshire Grand Départ in 2014 was largely considered to be a success on the roadside, with huge crowds attending the three UK-based stages and the event ultimately paved the way for the Yorkshire World Championships in 2019.
However, the legacy of the event has not necessarily endured in a positive light, with ‘tribute’ race the Tour de Yorkshire folding after X editions and the driver of the event, Welcome to Yorkshire’s Gary Verity, resigning amidst allegations of bullying and financial inconsistencies.
Once a rarity, and then at most an every-other-year affair, foreign Grand Départs have become increasingly common in all the Grand Tours, but especially the Tour de France. Of the last 10 editions, six have started outside of France, in locations such as Copenhagen, the Basque Country, and Düsseldorf.
The 2025 race will start in France, before a Barcelona Grand Départ in 2026, making the UK start in 2027 back-to-back foreign starts.
Prudhomme 'optimistic' 2027 Grand Départ will be on free-to-air television
In a roundtable press conference held on Wednesday to discuss the 2027 Grand Départ, it was revealed that talks about taking the Tour to Scotland dated back 18 years.
Prudhomme said that a change in UCI rules to allow the race to start on a Friday paved the way for taking the Tour to Edinburgh, ensuring that a day could be set aside for a transfer deep into France.
"We never thought about it – the same country [for both races]. It's the first time that the same country will be hosting the Tour for men and women outside of France. So, for me, it's really huge," Prudhomme said.
"When we started to talk, the rules of the UCI were different. It was very difficult for us to start the race on a Friday. As soon as it was decided that, every four years the possibility of starting on a Friday, suddenly Scotland was not all that far away from Paris and from France.
"We built a confidence and trust in all these years and I want to thank Paul and all the team. They never gave up on the possibility and they always upgraded the bid."
Prudhomme also said that the ease of getting out into the Scottish countryside was a factor in the success of the bid, recounting his own trips to Edinburgh and Scotland with his family.
He called the Tour "a sporting event that's also for people who don't like sports", citing culture, geography and local pride as important parts of the bid and the race itself.
"It's a magical city. You can go 20 minutes away from the city centre and you're in the middle of nowhere. For the Tour de France and other bike races, it's very important for the helicopter shots. Edinburgh and Scotland will offer a magnificent backdrop for the Tour.
"The race is the only sporting event that is also for people who don't like sports. It's geography, it's culture, it's pride. People have pride when they see home from the heli shots.
"All these things are here in the British bid – in Scotland, England, and Wales."
Finally, and perhaps most pertinently for British cycling fans, Prudhomme said that he's hopeful that the Grand Départ will be aired on free-to-air television in the UK.
The Tour will disappear from free-to-air television after this summer, with ITV4 not bidding on television rights beyond 2025. That decision, paired with the recent shuttering of Eurosport and Warner Bros. Discovery's shift of Eurosport's cycling coverage behind a £30.99 paywall on TNT Sports, means the cost of watching racing in the UK skyrocketed from the end of February.
Prudhomme said that discussions will be had over the issue before the 2027 Tour.
"There will be discussions, of course," he said. "But I do hope – and I do believe – that the stages will be live and free-to-air in 2027 in the UK. There will be discussions and we're optimistic."
Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported from many of the biggest events on the calendar, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France Femmes, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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