The world’s most famous cycle race could pass through Penrith in 2027, bringing vast numbers of visitors and boosting the local economy, according to speculation in sporting circles.
It has been officially announced that the Tour de France 2027 is to start in Edinburgh, with the rest of the route yet to be confirmed.
The event is being billed by British Cycling as “the largest free sporting spectacle in British history,” as they predict that “millions” will line the streets to catch a glimpse of the sporting action.
And a leading sports publication has suggested that Penrith could be a start point for one of the race’s stages.
It is the first time both the men’s and women’s “Grand Départs” will be held in the same country and only the third time the race has started in the UK.
A full schedule for the event will be revealed in the autumn. Apart from Edinburgh — which will host the first stage of the men’s race — the routes for both the men’s and women’s Tours are so far unknown.
Visits are promised for Scotland, England and Wales during six days of racing on British soil, with widespread suggestions that the Lake District will be involved.
Cyclist magazine is among those touting Penrith as a possible stage location, with the magazine’s chosen “likely route” based on a combination of “local interest, press rumours, Tour trends and sporting excitement”.
Cyclist suggests a Stage 2 route from Penrith to Manchester, noting that although the Tour has been on UK soil before, it has never run through the North West.
“It is a tremendous honour to welcome the Tour de France to Scotland,” said Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney.
“We know it is one of the most iconic and inspiring contests in sport, and that Scotland provides the perfect stage for major events.”
Hosting the Tour brings a host of wide reaching benefits, economic and otherwise.
A study of the economic and social impacts of hosting the Tour in Yorkshire in 2014 concluded that there were a number of major plusses from the two-day event, including 2.3 million visitors to the region and a £102.3m positive economic impact for the county.
