The Tour de France start looks set to return to Great Britain some 20 years after the opening stages of the race were first held there (Photo: Charly Lopez)
Great Britain looks set to host the Tour de France in 2027, some 20 years after it first hosted the start of the French Grand Tour back in 2007.
News that a British start is in the offing for two years time comes long after Ireland and Northern Ireland abandoned a mooted effort to bring the start of the world’s biggest bike race to the island of Ireland for 2027, or perhaps 2026.
That plan was discussed between the political administrations on both sides of the Border. But is was then abandoned in 2023 because of the absence of a Stormont Executive at the time. Some aspirations have been expressed to revive the effort.
The BBC has reported the Tour de France looks set to start in Britain in 2027, adding a formal announcement could be made as early as next month.
UK Sport has been in talks with Tour organisers ASO for over a year, in conjunction with British Cycling, after identifying the opening stages of the 2027 edition as an international event it wanted to host.
And while UK Sport would on Friday not confirm the race had been secured for two years time, it sounded optimistic the Tour would soon be back on British roads.
“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,” it 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.”