Britain set to host Tour de France Grand Départ in 2027, according to reports

The Grand Départ of the 2027 Tour de France is set to take place in Great Britain, for what will be the third time the UK has hosted the start of cycling’s biggest race, according to sources close to the BBC.

The broadcaster reported on Friday afternoon that “advanced” talks are continuing between British sports authorities and Tour organisers ASO about the proposed Grand Départ, while “well-placed” sources suggest that an official announcement could be made as early as next month.

However, there are currently no details about which cities or towns will host the race, with details of the route yet to be finalised.

If the reports are true and the Tour de France does return to Great Britain in 2027, it will mark the fifth occasion the race has ventured onto British soil, and the third time it has hosted the opening Grand Départ stages, after London in 2007 and Yorkshire in 2014.

Marcel Kittel wins Stage 1 2014 Tour de France in Harrogate (picture credit Welcome to Yorkshire) (credit: road.cc)

According to a report published following the Yorkshire Grand Départ, almost five million people turned out to watch the three British stages by the roadside (though the total number of individual spectators amounted to a still very substantial 3.5 million), landing the region a £102 million economic boost in the process.

Meanwhile, Cambridge, Essex, and London, the scene of the final stage before the race returned to France, also benefitted by £30.5 million thanks to the Tour’s presence.

> “The Tour is the only race that matters. And that’s gone now”: Ned Boulting on the end of free-to-air Tour de France coverage in the UK and his “deep sense of loss”

National funding body UK Sport has been in negotiations with ASO since identifying the 2027 Tour as part of a list of international event hosting targets last year, with British Cycling backing the plans.

“We have made no secret of our ambition to host the Tour de France Grand Depart in Britain, to inspire more people to enjoy cycling and bring lasting benefits to communities,” UK Sport said in a statement.

“However, we respect this is a matter for the ASO and we remain committed to working hard to develop opportunities that can bring the joy of cycling to everyone.”

Tour de France 2014, Leeds Grand Depart (Dean Atkins/SWpix.com) (credit: road.cc)

Murmurings that the Tour could return to Britain have been growing louder in recent years, after the UK government in 2021 confirmed that it was considering bidding to host the 2026 Grand Départ (which has since been awarded to Barcelona), featuring stages that would take in England, Scotland, and Wales.

In 2022, Northern Ireland – which hosted the start of the 2014 Giro d’Italia, two months before the Tour’s Yorkshire Grand Départ – also emerged as a contender for either the 2026 or 2027 Tours, in what would have been a cross-border venture with the Republic of Ireland.

However, that joint bid was ultimately scrapped early last year, amid funding issues and the uncertainty surrounding the political impasse which had mothballed Northern Ireland’s government throughout the previous two years.  

Around the same time, Scottish Cycling’s executive Nick Rennie announced that he was hopeful that the Tour de France would come to Scotland in the near future, following the country’s successful hosting of the UCI’s inaugural combined world cycling championships in 2023.

“There are a lot of conversations which are hugely exciting – even something as huge as the Tour de France might be an option for a few stages,” Rennie said in the aftermath of the Scottish worlds.

Earlier this week, Tour organisers ASO announced the first official details of the Grand Départ of the 2026 edition of the French grand tour, which will get underway in Barcelona with a groundbreaking team time trial, the first time the Tour has ever started with a team effort.

The following day will see another historic stage start in Tarragona, which will be the most southerly point ever visited by the Tour, before the peloton head back to Barcelona for a finishing circuit on the steep gradients of the iconic Montjuïc hill.