The Scottish Borders will host the majority of Stage 1 of the 2027 Tour de France, the world’s biggest cycle race, on Friday 2 July 2027.
The Scottish Borders will host the majority of Stage 1 of the 2027 Tour de France, the world’s biggest cycle race, on Friday 2 July 2027.
The high-level route for the stage, which will start in Edinburgh and finish in Carlisle, was announced in Leeds this evening (Thursday 15 January).
Route information
After departing Edinburgh, Stage 1 will head south to Innerleithen, then on to Galashiels and Melrose. The route then takes the riders to the edge of Selkirk and on to Hawick and Newcastleton towards the stage finish in Carlisle. More route details will be revealed later this year.
The tower at the our Newtown St Boswells offices has been lit in the Tour de France’s famous yellow of the leader’s jersey to celebrate the occasion, co-ordinated with a series of yellow light beams across the various British stage start and finish locations.
Council Leader, Councillor Euan Jardine
“It is an incredible honour for the Scottish Borders to host the majority of Stage 1 of the 2027 Tour de France as it makes its way through our beautiful countryside and towns from Edinburgh to Carlisle.
“This will an amazing opportunity to witness one of the world’s biggest annual sporting events on our doorstep, and is something that few areas outside of France get to experience.
“The 2027 Tour de France in the Scottish Borders will be an opportunity to inspire people of all ages to get on a bike for pleasure, commuting or competition, and our investments over recent years in active travel and multi-use paths makes that much easier than before.
“We are incredibly lucky in that we may also have homegrown talent taking part, with Kelso’s Oscar Onley and Peebles’ Callum Thornley both signed to UCI WorldTour cycling teams – Ineos Grenadiers and Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe respectively.
“Stage 1 will also showcase the South of Scotland, already one of just 30 UCI Bike Regions/Cities, as Scotland’s leading cycle destination to an enormous audience around the world and to those that come to watch the race in-person. We can’t wait to welcome them all.”
Significant return on investment expected
Our investment to bring the event to the area is up to £583,500, split across two financial years, with external funding support being sought to reduce our overall contribution. It is estimated that there will be an incredibly positive return on our investment and a valuable long-term legacy. The Scottish Government has invested more than £9million to bring the event to Scotland for the first time.
For context, we invested £147,000 to host the first stage of the 2024 Tour of Britain Men, which generated an economic impact of almost £2.5million to the area.
The Tour de France is broadcast in over 190 countries, with an estimated global television audience of 3.5-4 billion people across the three-week race. At least 12million people watch the race annually at the roadside.
Councillor Scott Hamilton, Executive Member for Economic Growth and Developing the Borders
“The event will bring visitors to the region from far and wide, providing an economic boost to the area and delivering a significant legacy that only this world-class event can bring.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our communities and businesses. As a Council we will engage with and work alongside them to make sure that we all reap the benefits and deliver a long-lasting legacy from the event.
“The Tour de France is the pinnacle of professional cycling and we are fortunate to have the experience of hosting the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and 11 stages of Tour of Britain races since 2009. That experience will be vital as we work with the race organisers and our partners over the coming months to prepare for the event.”
Vision for cycling
The South of Scotland is establishing itself as Scotland’s leading cycling destination and in 2023 was awarded UCI Bike Region status from cycling’s governing body, recognising the region’s commitment to both elite cycling competition and cycling for all.
The vision of the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership, of which we are a leading partner, is that by 2032 cycling is embedded into the daily fabric of the lives of residents and experiences of visitors to the region.
More information
For more information and initial frequently asked questions please see our dedicated Tour de France webpages.