Scotland reportedly wins race to host Grand Depart of 2027 Tour de France!

After numerous rumors, it now seems confirmed that the 2027 Tour de France will start in Scotland. We knew it would begin in the United Kingdom, and that the women's race would follow suit. Now, the renowned journalist from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ciro Scognamiglio, has announced it on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account.

According to Scognamiglio, only the official confirmation remains. This would mark a significant boost for British cycling, which has been facing tough times lately. Just a few years ago, Team Sky was the best cycling team in the world, boasting riders like Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome, and Geraint Thomas. Now, INEOS Grenadiers has experienced a sharp decline and lost its local star, Tom Pidcock. While there are still promising young talents like Joshua Tarling, the reality for British cycling is concerning.

Recently, even a women's team faced a severe financial crisis adding to the growing uncertainty within British Cycling, with the whole situation exacerbated by an scandalous price hike to even watch the sport on TV following coverage moving from Eurosport to behind a £30 a month+ paywall on TNT Sports.

"It’s a great place to start," Dr Scott Arthur, the MP for Edinburgh South West, previously told Cycling Weekly about Scotland potentially having the Grand Depart of the Tour de France. "What I’d be interested in is the route through and around the city, so we’ll see where that goes."

"The first time in Scotland would be amazing, and our friends in Glasgow will be really annoyed at us taking the stage, which is even better," Arthur laughed. "Edinburgh is a fantastic city, and I’m always proud that people come from all over the world to visit, and this is part of that… It comes slightly before the peak summer period, which is great as well for the city economy."