The most expensive Tour de France Grand Départ ever - Great Britain to spend reported £65 million on 2027 race and legacy projects

The 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ has been described as the "most expensive Grand Départ ever" as governments in England, Scotland and Wales will reportedly spend a total of £65 million on the opening three stages of the men's and women's Tour and legacy projects aimed at promoting cycling.

British journalist Jeremy Whittle suggested in his Substack that each of the six days of racing in the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes will cost  £11 million, making the 2027 Tour 'the most expensive bike races ever held'.

The UK's Minister for Sport Stefanie Peacock confirmed in a formal written statement that the UK Government will provide £32.17 million in funding. The Scottish government has revealed an investment of up to £9.25m to cover costs of hosting the start of the men's Tour de France 2027, with Edinburgh councillors using £1.7m of income from the city's visitor levy to fund the opening stage in the city. Wales has allocated  £4.5 million for cycling tourism infrastructure to create a lasting legacy from the Tour visiting Wales on stage 3.

"This funding will support the world’s premier cycling race to return to Great Britain, speeding through Scotland, Wales, and England, connecting our nation and bringing the joy of cycling to the heart of British communities," Peacock said.

"Government funding will be used to ensure the safety and security of the event, support local authorities and deliver a lasting legacy and impact programme."

The UK Grand Départ is the 28th time that the Tour de France has started outside of France in the last 50 years and marks the fifth foreign start in six years after Barcelona, Florence, Bilbao and Copenhagen.

Tour de France organiser ASO demands a significant fee for the Tour de France, with the UK Grand Départ and the opening stages of both the men's and women's race likely to have sparked a fee above £10 million, the amount Barcelona and other cities reportedly faced in recent years.

The UK Government has projected over £150 million in economic benefits across Great Britain from the combined 2027 men's and women's Grand Départ. When the Tour de France last started in England in 2014, local and government staging costs totaled roughly £29.4 million against an estimated £128 million in economic benefit.

The UK joint venture Grand Départ GB, created for the event, told Whittle that "spectators will have free access to more than 900km of roadside across both Grands Départ." Millions of people are expected to enjoy the free show as they watch the race pass by. However, the best seats to see the official team presentation that is combined with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, cost £99.

"This is set to be the biggest free sporting event the UK has ever hosted," Simon Morton of UK Sport said.

"With routes passing through communities across Scotland, England and Wales, millions of people will have the chance to see some of the world’s best cyclists up close. That’s something very few sports can offer, and it’s what makes these events so special."

The 2007 and 2014 Grand Départs arguably helped drive the growth in British Cycling but Whittle pointed out that cycling in Britain is now in decline.

"So how do you measure the legacy of these grand, one-off events? Certainly in Yorkshire more pints were pulled, more cups of tea brewed, more hotel beds sold. Economically there was a tangible short-term benefit. The vibes were good," Whittle wrote.

"The landscape has changed since then. There is no more Team Sky, no more ITV free-to-air coverage and the membership of British Cycling is now in decline. We have had a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and there is war in Europe."