A coalition of cycling leaders and local authority representatives has written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for £30 million of Government investment to create safe, accessible places to ride across Britain, as part of a lasting legacy from the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Grand Départs.

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The letter, dated 26 August 2026 and titled "Tour de France Grand Départ 2027 legacy: open letter calling for critical capital investment," notes that Britain is less than a year from becoming the first nation outside France to host both the men's and women's Grand Départs, events expected to bring more than 10 million people onto the country's streets. Alongside the racing, organisers point to a wider social impact programme already under way, including the recruitment of more than 9,000 volunteer "JOY Makers," a nationwide schools engagement programme, and a Readiness to Work initiative for young people.

The signatories argue that a £30 million capital investment would build on that momentum, targeting communities where demand for cycling is high but provision has not kept pace. They say Manchester City Council and Edinburgh City Council, hosts of the Tour de France Femmes and Tour de France respectively, have already ringfenced capital funding that could be deployed alongside any Government support.

Who signed the letter

The letter carries a broad coalition of signatures, including:

• Lee Gibbons, Interim Group Chief Executive, British Cycling
• Chris Brindley, Chair, Grand Départ GB 2027
• Nick Rennie, Chief Executive, Scottish Cycling
• Caroline Spanton, Chief Executive, Beicio Cymru
• Dame Sarah Storey, Active Travel Commissioner, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• Ed Clancy OBE, Active Travel Commissioner, South Yorkshire Combined Authority
• Simon O'Brien, Cycling and Walking Commissioner, Liverpool City Region
• Council leaders and directors from Manchester, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leeds and Cumberland councils

The evidence base

The letter leans heavily on the record of the original Places to Ride programme, backed by £15 million of Government funding between 2019 and 2024, which supported more than 150 projects across England. The letter puts the resulting social value at almost £268 million, with an estimated £32.9 million in NHS savings, broken down as £2.9 million from reduced heart disease, £2.8 million from stroke prevention, £9.3 million from reduced depression, and £9.5 million from avoided Type 2 diabetes costs. It also cites a separate Scottish programme, linked to the legacy of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, which has supported 50 facilities with £8 million of public investment, unlocking a further £18 million in match funding.

A Welsh example: the National BMX Centre

A follow-up piece from Beicio Cymru, published the next day, put a Welsh face on the campaign, pointing to the National BMX Centre Wales (NBCW) in Llanrumney, Cardiff. Built with support from Beicio Cymru and Sport Wales, the purpose-built centre has become an established hub for BMX in Wales, hosting everything from beginner sessions to national-level competition, and supporting clubs and riders from across Cardiff and the surrounding area.

Caroline Spanton said the Grand Départs represent a rare chance to inspire new riders, but that the lasting impact will come down to what opportunities exist once the race has moved on:

"The real legacy will be determined by what opportunities people have to get on a bike long after the races have left Wales," she said, pointing to the NBCW as proof of what targeted investment can achieve.

Does this include mountain biking, or is it aimed elsewhere?

The letter itself is framed around community cycling facilities in general, rather than any single discipline, and the Welsh example used to illustrate the campaign, the NBCW, is a BMX facility rather than an MTB one. It is also worth noting that the NBCW was funded through Beicio Cymru and Sport Wales, a Wales-specific route, rather than through Places to Ride, which has so far operated only in England.

Looking at how Places to Ride has actually been spent gives a clearer sense of scope. Between 2019 and 2024, the England programme supported more than 150 projects with over £15 million in government funding, broken down as:

• 49 BMX and pump tracks
• 44 equipment and storage solutions
• 23 mountain bike trails
• 17 learn-to-ride projects for beginners
• 10 closed road circuits
• 7 clubhouse units
• 6 skateparks

Mountain biking accounts for a meaningful slice of that, around one in seven funded projects, but it sits behind BMX and pump tracks as the largest single category. The MTB-related projects funded also tend to be smaller, community or school-based additions rather than large destination trail centres. Past recipients have included trail schemes at Forestry England's Cannock Chase, Hampshire's Queen Elizabeth Country Park, the Isle of Wight Bike Centre, and several school and local authority projects in Cornwall, Devon and elsewhere.

In short: mountain biking has had a place in Places to Ride funding historically, but this new £30 million call reads as open to any cycling discipline where local demand outstrips provision, rather than being pitched specifically at MTB or specifically excluding it.

What happens next

The letter requests a meeting with the Prime Minister and his team to present the coalition's business case. No funding has been confirmed, and this remains a proposal at the call-for-investment stage rather than an announced scheme. iBikeRide first covered the wider UK-wide version of this campaign, backed jointly by British Cycling, Scottish Cycling and Beicio Cymru, back in January 2026, and will continue to follow developments as they emerge.

Want to have your say? Beicio Cymru has published details of the campaign, along with the full open letter and a letter template for anyone who wants to write to their MP in support, on its website.