Tour De France to hit the streets of Scotland
By Louisa Gavin
The well renowned bike race Tour De France is set to kick off in the streets of Edinburgh in summer 2027. This news was announced on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh on Wednesday 19 March.
The competition is a staple of the worldwide sporting calendar and previously has only taken place in the UK twice, London in 2007 and Yorkshire in 2014. So, for Scotland, the event is set to take the capital by storm.
Past winners of the competition include Sir Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome.
As imagined, the event will mean a large audience of fans flock to the city. The impact that this will have on Scotland's tourism sector is huge. This news follows the announcements that both the Commonwealth games in 2026 and the 2028 Euros will take place in Scotland.
Tour de France to kick off in Edinburgh. Credit: Harvey Meston/ GettyImages
First Minister John Swinney has embraced the announcement of the race taking place in Scotland's capital and said: “It is a tremendous honour to welcome the Tour De France to Scotland. We know it is one of the most iconic and inspiring events in sport, and that Scotland provides the perfect stage for major events.”
A large part of the race being announced to take place in Edinburgh is the large range of attractions around the city centre. The cyclists taking part will be well treated along the route.
One of the beneficial aspects of the competition is that it will be free to watch for spectators, this breaks boundaries for those who maybe would be unable to access the event normally. Simon Morton, director at UK Sport said: “This will be the biggest free spectator event ever hosted in the UK, offering the public front-row access to world-class sport.”
Tadej Pogacar wins the TOur de Fr4ance 2024. Credit: Tim de Waele/ GettyImages
Along with this, Tour De France director Christian Prudhomme wishes for the famous race to be free to watch on television as recently ITV lost its broadcasting rights. He said: “I do hope and believe the UK stages will be live and fee to air in 2027. There will be discussions. We are optimistic.”
The last time that the tour took place in the UK, it generated an estimated revenue of around £130 million. With the number of spectators surpassing 3.5 million.
‘La Grande Boucle’ will it is hoped, take place in July 2027.
More details surrounding the routes of the race will be released in Autumn time.