British Cycling has appointed Pitch Marketing Group as lead creative agency to promote the 2027 Grands Départs of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, aiming to draw millions of roadside spectators across Scotland, England, and Wales.
Following a competitive pitch process, the agency will collaborate with the Grand Départ GB team and communications agency Spectacle to deliver an integrated multi-channel awareness campaign starting in early 2027, Sportcal reported. The campaign will also promote JOY, a social impact programme focused on health, wellbeing, skills development, community connection, and a national volunteer initiative, according to Sport Industry Group.
Britain will become the first nation outside France to host the opening stages of both elite races in the same calendar year, marking the women’s race’s debut visit to the UK.
The men’s Grand Départ starts in Edinburgh on July 2, 2027, traversing Carlisle, Keswick, Liverpool, Welshpool, and Cardiff across three stages, while the women’s event begins in Leeds on July 30, 2027, heading through Manchester and Sheffield before concluding with a team time trial in central London on August 1, 2027, Sport Industry Group noted.
“Following a highly competitive pitch process we are delighted to be working with Pitch to bring to life their exciting vision for the promotion of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift next year,” said Esha Glen, marketing lead for Grand Départ GB 2027, as reported by Sportcal.
Glen added that the Grands Départs will offer an incredible free-to-attend roadside spectacle, stating that organizers want to see as many fans on the roads as possible to make 2027 the summer of cycling, according to Sport Industry Group.
The UK previously hosted the men’s Grand Départ in London in 2007 and Yorkshire in 2014, with the latter generating approximately £130 million for the host region’s economy according to a UK Sport report cited by Sportcal. Event organizers are targeting a comparable economic impact for the 2027 event, delivered in partnership with race organizer Amaury Sport Organization and regional governments.
“Britain has an amazing track record of staging the world’s biggest sporting events, and we are incredibly thrilled to be playing a part in the return of the Tour de France to the UK,” said Henry Chappell, chief executive of Pitch Marketing Group, in reporting covered by Sportcal.
Chappell also told Sport Industry Group that the event represents a great opportunity to promote cycling to younger audiences and see millions of fans bring the atmosphere in person.
Broadcast rights for the Tour de France are held exclusively in the UK by Warner Bros. Discovery and distributed via TNT Sports and Discovery+, while historical free-to-air coverage has been handled by Channel 4 and ITV, Sportcal noted. The UK staging of the 2027 race has sparked expectations that a sub-licensing agreement could be secured to maintain free-to-air access for domestic audiences.
