Tour de France ‘could come to Scotland’ as chiefs eye bid to bring race to UK

THE Tour de France could check in at a Scottish city in 2017, according to the man who brought the biggest cycling race to the world to Leeds in 2014.

Funding body UK Sport has already identified the 2027 Tour ‘Grand Depart’ in their bid to bring the Tour de France back to these shores for the first time in 13 years.

2

The Tour tends to start abroad, with the race kicking off in Italy this year, and scheduled for Lille and Barcelona in 2025 and 2026.

Edinburgh has previously declared a strong interest in holding the Grand Départ while Glasgow is renowned as a cycling venue after hosting the inaugural combined UCI World Championships in 2023 – with further cycling events due at what will be the city’s second Commonwealth Games in 12 years in 2026.

British Cycling chief Jon Dutton, who was involved in organising the 2014 Grand Depart in Yorkshire, told City AM that he was right behind the bid, with big population bases such as Glasgow as well as London and Cardiff all in the mix.

He said: “We would love to come to London

“We’re looking at big population centres – London, Glasgow, Cardiff and more.

“We are doing a mapping exercise at the moment on the Tour of Britain to look at areas we haven’t been to previously.

“Hopefully we can reach more people in more places.

“The Tour de France is a commercial organisation and so it is a project led by UK Sport.

“But off the back of the Grand Depart in 2014, which I was personally involved in, and seeing the millions of people come to the side of the road and the reach across the geography of the UK, we are fully supportive [of its return].”

He added: “The Tour de France would have a hugely positive impact, it would create incredible visibility and it would allow all partners to deliver more social value over a period of time

“It wouldn’t just be about the race coming and going, there’s a massive cycle tourism aspect. 

“It’s not our decision but it is why events are so important, and that they can be delivered in a financially sustainable way more than the sum of the parts. 

“The cost is still in the process of being worked through [with UK Sport] but we would definitely be within our means and prepared to step up and support against the value of just getting more people on a bike.”

Our New YouTube Channel

Subscribe to our new Scottish Sun Sport YouTube channel for all the latest football news, views and amazing moments.

We’ve got every major development covered from Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen and the rest of the Scottish Premiership.

Plus we have TWO brilliant new podcasts to watch every week…

MONDAY

Go Ballistic with Roger Hannah and special guest Kris Boyd will dissect all the weekend action and deliver their no-holds-barred reaction.

WEDNESDAY

Robert Grieve and Bill Leckie chew over the tastiest topics in Scottish football and offer their unique takes in their Coffee Club.

FRIDAY

Go Ballistic is back with Roger Hannah and top tipster Jim Delahunt looking ahead to the weekend games and analysing the biggest talking points.

Subscribe now and don’t miss a thing.

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page