Tour de France 2027: UK to host historic dual Grand Departs - BBC Sport
Grand Depart from Edinburgh in both men's and women's tours in 2027. Fantastic! Shame it won't be on free to air TV...
Grand Depart from Edinburgh in both men's and women's tours in 2027.
Given the absolute state of the roads around Edinburgh, I hope they're specifying it as the gravel bike stage(s)! Dear teams, please bring your Paris-Roubaix kit...
Roads around Sheffield / Strines were mint for 2014. Tarmac-ists of Scotland assemble
Awesome, yet another sport event in the uk I won't watch because of money grabbing bastards
Grand Depart from Edinburgh in both men's and women's tours in 2027.
Given the absolute state of the roads around Edinburgh, I hope they're specifying it as the gravel bike stage(s)! Dear teams, please bring your Paris-Roubaix kit...
The routes out of Glasgow were glorious the week before the World Champs.
Lots of cobbled streets to choose from. Any truth in the rumour that @13thfloormonk has been employed as route designer?
Heard Cav on the news talking about it. Thought it was a shame they didn't have a TT on the IoM in his honour!
Fantasy stage 2:
Perth to Cairngorm ski area, via the Glenshee ski centre, Braemar, Crathie (Balmoral) to Gairnshiel, Donside, The Lecht ski centre. On to Tomintoul and the Cairngorm ski road for a mountain top finish.
112 miles, 7200' ascent. World class route...
I always used to have a fantasy TdF Grand Depart that started with the mile from the Castle to Holyrood, a lap of the radical road ... and ended up at Holy Island with a sprint to the castle after beating the tides coming in.
Logistically a nightmare but it would be a great spectacle for the cameras - Old and New Town, Arthur's Seat, Roslin Glen/Chapel, Moorfoots & Lammermuirs, Berwick walls & bridges, N. Northumberland villages & crags before a final and descent to the coast - about 200km, pretty much idyllic.
Point of order - whilst the women's edition is starting in the UK, I don't think it's in Edinburgh or Scotland.
It might have by lazy/simplified journalism but there seemed to be an impression given that the route would be 3 stages navigating roughly south to end in Wales. This seems a real shame as has already been said, a stage threading some of the most beautiful elements of the Highlands could make the most of Scotland aesthetically but also generate a more interesting stage from a competition perspective.
If you use Google translate on the page it's slightly different:
https://www.letour.fr/fr/la-course/grands-departs/grand-depart-2027
- Looking ahead to 2027, the 114th edition of the Tour de France and the 6th edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will both begin with a series of three stages in the United Kingdom.
Weren't some riders blocked from the worlds due to borderfarce/HO refusing Visas. I have complete confidence that the HO will be running at it's usual capacity.
Wouldn't be the first time for the UK border forces:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-28090246
This seems a real shame as has already been said, a stage threading some of the most beautiful elements of the Highlands could make the most of Scotland aesthetically but also generate a more interesting stage from a competition perspective.
Yeah, the borders, the lakes, north wales. All famed for their bland mediocrity
Is it just me that likes the idea of a sprint stage ending up the Royal Mile with the line just as you come into the tattoo ground?
Maybe start at the Chris Hoy in Glasgow.
Safety and logistics probably say no, but it would be incredible if they could make it work.
on second thoughts - is it actually Sean Yates and the picture just has the wrong caption?
Yep, that's indeed Sean Yates. 9 British riders in yellow so far, if I'm getting it right; there's one very noticeable rider missed out in those images - a classic own goal for the Tour.
Also interesting to note that Wiggins & Froome aren't included, presumably due to being born outside of the UK?
Wiggins and froome are in the tdf winners list. The other list is just those who’ve worn the jersey but not won the whole thing
If you use Google translate on the page it's slightly different:
You can select the language on the drop down menu on that site.
Wiggins and froome are in the tdf winners list. The other list is just those who’ve worn the jersey but not won the whole thing
Just had a look on the desktop and it's loading those images - couldn't see them on the mobile page. Honest!
If you'd have told me 30 years ago that there would be that many winners, let alone yellow jersey wearers, I'd have laughed hard.
Might be a good opportunity for organised rides (Glasgow to Edinburgh, etc), to attend the event.
Fantastic news.
Lots of cobbled streets to choose from. Any truth in the rumour that @13thfloormonk has been employed as route designer?
Ha! I'm keeping my head down, I've tinkered with my Cobbles and Castles route so bloody much and yet for the fifth or sixth spring in a row I've not bothered my arse to ride it, got my cobbles fix in Dundee this year 😎.
Link here if anyone wants it, I shall pass the torch to someone more local 😂.
https://strava.app.link/Qrvg4QI6SRb — Castles + Cobbles
Loved seeing Edinburgh, Stirling and Glasgow doing Scotland proud at the World Champs, look forward to the TdF doing similar.
Just watch them avoid iconic climbs in Scotland, England and through Wales to Cardiff.
Boardman and Yates both wore yellow in 1994, when the tour came to the UK, although ironically the two stages in the UK had neither wearing the jersey
I can just image the depart from Edinburgh heading south straight away because the course organisers look at population in the areas, but they had no bother getting UK bike fans to turn up in the middle of nowhere in Yorkshire
I just hope they don't try and shoehorn in a London stage like they did last time it was rubbish
Reverse of Ride to the Sun, but starting in Princes Street, add in a diversion up the Talla Wall and finish in Carlisle. Gives an opportunity for decent crowds at the start and finish and a shorter transit to the second stage, in England or Wales.
Bonus points for the Buddhist monastery on Eskdalemuir.
I can see them going over the FRB and the Queensferry Crossing. A finish up the Royal Mile to the Castle would be good.