Uncage the colours, unfurl the flag. That’s right, it’s time to get the bunting out, hang the Union Jacks and saltires, and prepare for the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coming to Britain for a historic visit in 2027. It’ll be the third time the men’s race has started in the UK, the first-ever time for the women, and the first-ever time that both races have shared a foreign country for their Grands Départs.
I am, genuinely, very excited about it. Who wouldn’t be? The world’s biggest bike race, on our doorstep? This year’s men’s Tour might be the most accessible to British fans in years, with so many stages in the northwest of France, but to have it in our country is a whole different thing. It’s a chance for British fans to show that they can be the most enthusiastic in the world, and to see the stars of the peloton race on streets that we too may very well have ridden on. Yorkshire in 2014 was great for this, as was the Glasgow World Championships in 2023. We might not have the grand mountain ranges of Italy, France, or Spain, but we do have lots of annoying little climbs, and a lot of enthusiasm for bike racing.
