{"id":700003,"date":"2026-01-16T13:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T13:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/700003\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T13:56:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T13:56:27","slug":"tour-de-france-in-edinburgh-tipped-to-attract-crowds-of-up-to-1m-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/700003\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France in Edinburgh tipped to attract crowds of up to 1m"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paul Bush, Grand Depart GB managing director for the race in 2027, predicts between 10 and 15 million people could watch the race and the women\u2019s contest when both come to the UK next year.<\/p>\n

He was speaking after it was announced that the Tour de France will have stages in Scotland, England and Wales in 2027 \u2013 with riders starting the race in the Scottish capital for the first time.<\/p>\n

\"Map(PA Graphics)<\/p>\n

That could attract crowds of between 500,000 and one million, Mr Bush said.<\/p>\n

He told BBC Radio Scotland\u2019s Breakfast programme: \u201cIf you think back to 2023 and the cycling world championships in Glasgow, we had half a million people on the streets for the men\u2019s road race, and 450,000 for the women\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be in excess of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we could get between half a million and a million people in Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople travel from all over the world for this event, it\u2019s one of those bucket list events, and it is free.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tour de France is the third biggest sporting event in the world, he added, and with the women\u2019s version of the race, the Tour de France Femmes avec Swift, also staging part of its contest in England, Mr Bush said next year would be an \u201chistoric first\u201d with the two events potentially attracting \u201cbetween 10 and 15 million on to the streets of the nation\u201d.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cAnd it\u2019s a free event, which in this day and age when sporting events have been criticised for the cost of tickets for events, we are really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

He described the cycle race as being the \u201cgreatest sporting event on the planet\u201d, adding: \u201cIt\u2019s the hardest test of an athlete, 21 days in the saddle, covering thousands of kilometres.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

LESGEUX! \ud83d\udc9b<\/p>\n

Six unforgettable stages through Scotland, England and Wales will make this the largest free-to-watch sporting event in UK history, bringing people together and inspiring more to get cycling.<\/p>\n

Read more here \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/4n8arlIJIU<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SeDd00d1LM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Le Tour de France UK (@letour_uk) January 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The opening stage of next year\u2019s Tour de France will see cyclists race from Edinburgh to Carlisle on July 2, making their way through a series of towns in the Scottish Borders, including Galashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, Hawick.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly exciting and very privileged for Scotland to host the first stage,\u201d Mr Bush added.<\/p>\n

That stage is \u201cquite flat\u201d, he said, and will \u201cprobably be a sprinters stage\u201d, adding subsequent routes between Keswick and Liverpool and then down into Wales would be \u201ca little bit tougher\u201d.<\/p>\n

But he added: \u201cWe\u2019ll see some fantastic sights on the road, we will see lots of street parties, we will see old people\u2019s homes on the side of the road having fun. It just brings some joy back into life.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristian Prudhomme, who is the race director, when I was with him last year in France said \u2018every day we bring joy to the communities of France\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is one of our key targets for next year, both in Scotland and the whole of the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n