Prime minister Andy Burnham has been told to invest £30 million in safe cycling infrastructure and facilities in order to leave a lasting legacy of improved public health and reduced inequality following next summer’s Tour de France visit to the UK.
Both the men’s and women’s editions of the Tour de France will get underway in Britain in 2027, the first UK Grand Départ of cycling’s biggest race since Yorkshire in 2014, with six stages in total set to take place on British roads, taking in England, Scotland, and Wales.
The men’s Tour will kick off in Edinburgh and feature stage finishes in Carlisle, Liverpool, and Cardiff, while Leeds will host the start of the Tour de France Femmes a month later, ahead of visits to Manchester, Sheffield, and a team time trial in London.
This week, a group of cycling stakeholders, including British Cycling and the Grand Départ GB organising committee, have joined forces with civic leaders in the host towns to pen an open letter urging the Labour government to deliver a “lasting legacy” for next year’s Grands Départs by making cycling safer and more accessible in the UK.
The letter was signed by representatives of British Cycling, Grand Départ GB, Scottish Cycling, Beicio Cymru, regional active travel commissioners, including Dame Sarah Storey and Ed Clancy, as well as council leaders from the stage start and finish locations.
In the letter, the stakeholders noted that the Tour’s visit already includes a number of initiatives they say will opportunity to “transform our towns, cities and communities across the UK, bringing people together through arts, culture and free festivities” during what has been described as the “largest live, free-to-watch sporting event the country has ever seen”.
This social impact programme includes the recruitment of over 9,000 volunteer JOY Makers, a schools engagement scheme, support for young people through a ‘readiness to work’ initiative, and efforts to encourage more girls to take up cycling.
“However, there is one major and urgent opportunity where we need your support, and with renewed energy and focus across UK Government, we believe now is the time to seize it,” the signatories told Burnham in the letter.
“We are calling for targeted capital investment in communities that need it most – places where demand is high but market failure has prevented provision.
“A £30 million government investment would create safe, accessible places to ride, helping people improve their health, build confidence on a bike, connect with others in their community, and access an affordable form of transport at a time when many households continue to face cost-of-living pressures.
“The investment would also turbocharge our wider legacy plans, extending their reach, accelerating their impact and ensuring benefits are felt for generations to come.”
According to the signatories, this investment would build on the success of the Places to Ride programme. Launched in 2019 as a £15m funding scheme awarded by the government as part of the 2019 UCI road world championships in Yorkshire, Places to Ride is the largest ever investment in community cycling facilities in England, reaching half a million people, many of whom learned to ride a bike for the first time through the project.
A collaboration with Sport England and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the project has delivered over 150 community cycling facilities and opportunities across the country, including BMX pump tracks, mountain bike trails, school cycle routes, and forest and park bike trails.
83 per cent of Places to Ride’s projects have focused on children and young people, while 41 per cent centred on women and girls, 35 per cent on supporting low-income groups, and 41 per cent engaging people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia, and depression.
According to data gathered by Sport England earlier this year, between its launch in 2019 and November 2025, Places to Ride has had a “seismic impact in healthcare prevention costs”, saving the NHS £13.1m, while delivering over £100m in ‘social value’ across the UK.
“We have a pipeline of investable projects ready to deliver, many linked to Tour de France host cities and regions, in areas of high deprivation, ensuring a meaningful and visible legacy from this major event,” this week’s open letter said.
“We are also confident that government investment would unlock significant match funding. Manchester City Council, host of the Tour de France Femmes, and Edinburgh City Council, host of the Tour de France, have already ringfenced capital funding that could be deployed alongside Government support.
“This would create tangible benefits quickly, with the Tour de France Grand Départs 2027 providing an unparalleled platform to showcase these success stories to audiences across the UK and around the world.”
The signatories also pointed to the success of the 2023 world championships in Glasgow and its legacy, which has seen 50 cycling facilities supported by £8m in public spending, unlocking a further £18m in match funding and generating over £48m in social value.
According to a report carried out in 2024, the Glasgow worlds also inspired 79 per cent of Scottish spectators to ride their bikes more often.
“Despite this success, too many people – particularly women and girls, disabled people, and those living in areas of high deprivation – still face significant barriers to cycling,” the letter notes.
“As a result, they miss out on the health, wellbeing and economic benefits that cycling can provide, including lower travel costs for journeys to work, education and essential services, and stronger, more connected communities.
“We know the demand is there, and the opportunity is significant. We would like to request a meeting with you and your team to present our business case at the earliest convenience, and explore how, together, we can capitalise on this unique opportunity.”
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In a statement published alongside the open letter to the prime minister, Lee Gibbons, British Cycling’s interim CEO, said: “The Tour de France Grand Départs in 2027 represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to inspire millions of people and showcase Britain to the world.
“We want to ensure the legacy extends far beyond the race itself. Investment in safe and accessible places to ride would help more people enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits of cycling while creating healthier and more connected communities.
“We have a pipeline of projects ready to deliver and the evidence is clear that investment in cycling facilities delivers significant returns for society, public health and local economies.”
Earlier this week, a group of 54 civil society organisations also called on Burnham’s new government to deliver more cycling schemes, as part of a call for urgent decarbonisation in the wake of this summer’s record-breaking heatwaves.
The Campaign for Better Transport’s chief executive, Ben Plowden, has called for an increase in “the proportion of journeys made by public transport, shared transport, walking, wheeling and cycling.”
“With the majority of journeys under five miles, this will benefit local communities, making it easier for people to get to shops, schools, health services and see friends and family,” Plowden said.
“It’s really a question around getting on with the sort of investment primarily in local transport improvements that would allow all of those things to happen simultaneously and as part of the same process.”
Following a summer that the Met Office says could be the ‘warmest on record’, the Campaign for Better Transport has highlighted that transport contributes almost a third of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions – more than any other sector. To reduce this, the Campaign is calling for a huge ‘modal shift’ away from cars.
“That needs to be driven by central government setting an overall target for enabling people to change how they travel, away from private vehicle use and to be able to choose public transport, walks, cycle, wheeled and shared mobility,” Plowden said.
