The UK and Its Place in Elite Cycling Competition

When the UK was announced as hosting six stages of the 2027 Tour de France, it represented another chapter in which the nation has been at the forefront of elite cycling competition. While it doesn’t have its own Grand Tour that stands alongside its French counterpart, the Vuelta a España, or the Giro d’Italia, it has contributed more than many realise to the sport at the highest level.

With competitors, race legs, and attempts at establishing a road race to rival some of the best in Europe, the UK has made its mark on cycling in a big way. To outsiders, the 2027 Grand Départ from Great Britain may seem unusual, but it simply marks an ongoing relationship between the UK and the sport that continues to bear real fruit.

Edinburgh will be the home of the opening stage of the Tour de France in 2027, marking the first time that the tour has visited Scotland. It will travel through the country, stopping in Wales and Liverpool before heading to France. It is the third time that the tour has begun in the UK, but it also highlights the lack of British talent at the top.

When it last departed from the UK - from Yorkshire in 2014 - Britain was experiencing a cycling renaissance. Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Geraint Thomas made up six of the 10 general classification winners in the 2010s. As of now, betting for the Tour de France favours the likes of Tadej Pogačar, with no British cyclists featuring at the top.

It is a sad state of affairs for a nation that has produced some of the top talent throughout the years, and there will certainly be some soul-searching leading up to the 2027 event. The heads of British cycling will not want to see a Grand Départ from the UK with no clear favourites from the British Isles amongst the frontrunners.

With regular winners and a Grand Départ in the 2010s, it was a period of great fervour for the sport in the UK. That 2014 departure from Yorkshire seemed to ignite a desire for top-level tour cycling that was unprecedented in the country. In fact, it even saw the establishment of Britain’s very own tour event.

The Tour de Yorkshire, a confusing mix of English and French grammar, was British cycling’s attempt to capture lightning in a bottle. The departure from Leeds was a resounding success, and the people of the region were keen to see more. The first edition of the Yorkshire-hosted event, held in 2015 and beginning on the county’s north-east coast, was won by Norwegian Lars Petter Nordhaug.

The event was held annually until it was curtailed by the 2020 pandemic, which led to global lockdowns. While it was never held again, it was a popular slice of British cycling life, and there continues to be discussion about its return. In 2024, it was hoped it would return to mark the 10th anniversary of the Tour de France leaving from Leeds.

It is hoped that this tour of the country’s north will have a similar effect on the areas it passes through as it did on Yorkshire in 2014. Perhaps, it could even inspire the latest generation of Froomes, who will go on to claim the yellow jersey in the future as UK cyclists. Given that it is departing from and travelling through areas that have been untouched by elite tour competition, that just might be the case.

Whether or not it does establish a new era of cycling in the UK, it will certainly be a spectacle worth waiting for, as the historic beauty of Edinburgh will serve as the backdrop for one of the most prestigious events in world sport. It will pass through some of the most beautiful parts of the country, and will likely be a thrilling few stages.