Cycling bodies call on Government to invest £30 million as part of UK's Tour de France Grands Départs legacy
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Cycling governing bodies have called on the Government to commit £30 million in targeted public investment to deliver what they describe as “transformational” benefits for health, inclusion and participation across Britain.
The organisations, including British Cycling, Scottish Cycling, and Beicio Cymru, say the funding would create more than 250 community cycling facilities and help turn the UK into a “true nation of cyclists”.
The appeal comes ahead of the Tour de France Grands Départs, which will start in the UK next summer for the first time, with the men’s race in Edinburgh and the women’s race in Leeds. Organisers believe the investment would ensure a lasting nationwide legacy beyond the events themselves.
The call follows new research showing cycling schemes have already saved the NHS more than £13 million while generating over £100 million in social value.
The findings relate to the Places to Ride programme and were calculated using methodology developed by Sheffield Hallam University, State of Life and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Launched in 2019 with £15 million Government funding linked to the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, Places to Ride has reached around half a million people and delivered more than 150 facilities, with the sites including BMX tracks, trails, school routes and community cycling infrastructure across the country.
Sport England data recorded £13.1 million in healthcare prevention savings between 2019 and November 2025 through reduced illness and GP visits, while the programme has particularly focused on young people, women and girls, lower-income communities and people with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
British Cycling chief executive Jon Dutton said: “Places to Ride has demonstrated the power of targeted public investment.
“We have hundreds of stories alongside the raw data to show how people’s lives – particularly those in underserved groups – have been and continue to be transformed by the project. It has increased cycling participation and narrowed inequalities, providing more opportunities in communities which needed it most.
“This next phase will build on that proven model with high impact for relatively small investment. With £30 million, we will deliver over 250 new or upgraded cycling facilities across England, Scotland and Wales, with a continued focus on inclusion, innovation and local need.
“Crucially, this investment will unlock significant match funding from local authorities, charities, commercial partners and communities themselves, ensuring public money goes much further.
“It will also align with national strategies on health, inclusion, active travel and levelling up, whilst playing a vital part in creating a lasting legacy across the home nations ahead of the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Grands Départs.”
Scottish Cycling chief executive Nick Rennie said: “Impact reports from both the Places to Ride programme in England, and the Cycling Facilities Fund in Scotland, clearly demonstrate the impact that facility funding has on the health and wellbeing of the nation.
“There have been some fantastic facility developments in Scotland over the last five years, which have quickly become the centrepiece of communities, but we still have large portions of the country without a facility that is easily accessible, with more funding required to fill the gaps.
“We fully support the ask from British Cycling and are committed to working collaboratively with partners to deliver a fund that helps transform England, Scotland, and Wales into true nations of cyclists.”