When will Britain know if it will host the Tour de France 2026 Grand Départ?
There is no official bidding process to decide the location of the Tour de France Grand Départ


Britain is not likely to know if it will host the start of the 2026 Tour de France until at least two years out from the proposed start date.
It was announced in the Chancellor’s Budget in October that £30m was being set aside to bring the Tour back to the UK for the first time since 2014, with that pot of money also being used to potentially stage the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
In the November 4 edition of the Cycling Weekly magazine, it was revealed that the proposed route would begin in Scotland - most probably from Edinburgh Castle - before stage two would be held in northern England.
Stage three would finish in northern Wales, with one insider who has knowledge of the planned route confirming that the Welsh stage would be the most dramatic in terms of an anticipated general classification battle.
The UK-wide bid has to be submitted to Tour organisers ASO in “early 2022” before a bidding process is undertaken. It is not yet known what other countries and regions are seeking to bring the Grand Départ to their area in 2026. The Tour, traditionally, starts outside France every other year.
A Tour de France spokesperson told Cycling Weekly that they were unable to say when ASO will announce where the race will begin in four editions’ time, with a number of figures across the three-nation bid informing this publication that they have been told not to speak about the bidding timeline to the press.
Unlike other international events, there is no structured bidding process to follow.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
From past announcements, however, Grand Départs have never been revealed more than two-and-a-half years in advance of the start date.
Yorkshire’s successful staging of the 2014 event was only confirmed in December 2012 while more recently Bilbao were only awarded the 2023 start in March 2021.
It follows a trend, with Copenhagen being awarded the initial 2021 start (pushed back a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic) in February 2019, and Brussels being informed of their 2019 hosting in May 2017.
Cycling Weekly also understands that ASO are unlikely to deviate from that pattern, and when bids for the 2026 event are tabled at the start of 2022, each region will be assessed thoroughly with delegates from ASO visiting to be shown stage routes and the area.
Christian Prudhomme, the Tour's race director, is known to want to bring the Grand Départ to Italy, with Florence previously having been earmarked to host the 2014 start before Yorkshire was selected. The Italian city announced in 2020 that it was actively working on a renewed bid.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
-
Rapha launches the Super-League, a new British road racing points competition
16 events make up the Rapha Super-League, including crits and road races, with overall winners crowned
By Adam Becket
-
Jonas Vingegaard confirms race schedule ahead of Tour de France
Danish climber will only ride the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, but will take part in two altitude camps
By Tom Thewlis
-
Jonas Vingegaard confirms race schedule ahead of Tour de France
Danish climber will only ride the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, but will take part in two altitude camps
By Tom Thewlis
-
Remco Evenepoel hails end of 'dark period' and announces racing return
Olympic champion says comeback from training crash has been 'the hardest battle of my life so far'
By Tom Thewlis
-
'We need to keep the biggest race in the sport free' - Petition calling for Tour de France to remain on free-to-air television reaches 10,000 signatures
As things stand, the Tour will be not be free to watch in 2026, but a petition is seeking to change the way it is categorised by the UK government
By Adam Becket
-
Could Caleb Ewan be Ineos Grenadiers' first Tour de France sprinter since Mark Cavendish? 'That's my goal'
"All I can do is try to win as much as possible and prove that I deserve to be there," says Australian
By Tom Davidson
-
Extra wildcard team approved for Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España
Number of teams to increase from 22 to 23 at men's Grand Tours
By Tom Davidson
-
Jonas Vingegaard out of Volta a Catalunya after Paris-Nice crash
Visma-Lease a Bike say two-time Tour de France winner needs more time to recover from wrist injury sustained in France last week
By Tom Thewlis
-
'We've all got a little bit extra in us this year' - Ineos Grenadiers recapture 'fighting spirit' with aggressive Paris-Nice display
British team continue to put tumultuous 2024 behind them with momentum and a new found mentality
By Tom Thewlis
-
Matteo Jorgenson aiming to 'set the bar higher' and target a Grand Tour after securing second Paris-Nice title
American explained that targeting a win in one of the sport's biggest three-week races was now the logical next step in his career
By Tom Thewlis