Tour de France chief hopes for ‘vital’ Grand Depart 2027 legacy as routes revealed
EXCLUSIVE The Tour de France will make its return to British shores in 2026 – and Tour director Christian Prudhomme is hoping the race will go beyond just the cycling
The routes were revealed on Thursday evening(Image: )
It has been almost 12 years since Yorkshire set the bench mark for Tour de France Grands Departs.
Across a sun-soaked weekend in the Yorkshire Dales, an estimated 3.5million fans lined the roads and limestone cliffs to welcome the world’s biggest bike race. And it started an enduring love-affair between Christian Prudhomme, the Tour’s director, and the region.
Prudhomme was back in Leeds on Thursday evening, as he detailed how the men’s race will traverse from Edinburgh to Carlisle, Keswick to Liverpool and Welshpool to Cardiff. While the women’s race will tackle the Pennines between Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield.
And for the race’s director, his goal for next summer’s event goes beyond the race. “If 2014 is anything to go by – and that is our benchmark – then the success we can achieve in 2027 should be just as significant, if not greater,” Prudhomme told Daily Star Sport .
“The legacy will be substantial. That said, there is still a great deal of work to do beforehand. As the Tour comes to town, a key focus must be on young people and children.
“We are working very closely with British Cycling to maximise the impact of what this event can deliver. There’s a reference I often make, especially as I get older: the champions of our lifetime are the champions of our childhood.
“The people we watch as we grow up are the ones who stay with us, who shape our memories and our ambitions. If children in this country, and in this region, are able to see those role models up close, that can be incredibly powerful.
“And this isn’t just about children. If this Tour gives people of all ages the opportunity to walk more, run more, or cycle more, then it will have a genuinely positive impact on the health of the nations and communities it passes through.”
The Tour will role out of Edinburgh on Friday July 2, taking in the views of the Scottish Borders before a finish designed for the sprinters in Carlisle.
The Saturday will see the eyes of the world descend on the Lake District with the start in Keswick heading south – and the route will head upwards after Lancaster with a series of short, punchy, climbs leading to Liverpool’s waterfront.
However, the general classification action could be limited to Stage 3, with the climbs between Welshpool and Cardiff designed to draw out those who will be dreaming of the Yellow Jersey in Paris.
