World's biggest cycling race to start in Scotland

THE world’s greatest cycle race is to start in Scotland in two years. It was revealed last night that Edinburgh will host the “Grand Depart” for the Tour de France in 2027.

- Richard Elias

It will be the first time the race has come to Scotland.

Precise details of the 2027 route, which will see stages held in England and Wales too, will be announced in the autumn.

The event was visited the UK in 2014 and saw an estimated five million spectators take to the streets for what is billed the “greatest free show on earth”.

The announcement comes after Glasgow hosted the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023.

That led to around one million spectators turning out over 11 days of action.

And in 2014, Scotland’s biggest city also played host to the road race for the Commonwealth Games.

It is expected that staging the Grand Depart will bring hundreds of millions of pounds into the Scottish economy.