Bradley Wiggins: The Speaker to Book for the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ

The 2027 Tour de France starts in Edinburgh on July 2nd, 2027, and spends three days on British roads before it crosses to France. For anyone planning an event around the Grand Départ, Sir Bradley Wiggins is the Tour de France speaker to book. He was the first Briton to win the race, and stage 2 runs through the Lancashire borough he lived in when he did it.

When does the 2027 Tour de France start in the UK?

The men's Tour de France starts in Edinburgh on Friday July 2nd, 2027, with three stages across Scotland, England and Wales. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift follows on Friday July 30th, 2027, starting in Leeds. It is the first time both races have started in the same country outside France.

• Stage 1, July 2nd: Edinburgh to Carlisle
• Stage 2, July 3rd: Keswick to Liverpool, 223km through the Lake District, Morecambe, Lancaster, the Forest of Bowland, Blackburn and Chorley
• Stage 3, July 4th: Welshpool to Cardiff
• Femmes stage 1, July 30th: Leeds to Manchester
• Femmes stage 2, July 31st: Manchester to Sheffield
• Femmes stage 3, August 1st: London

Host regions are already planning around it. Lancashire County Council expects stage 2 to bring more than £15 million into the county's economy, and Councillor Caroline Jackson, Leader of Lancaster City Council, has called the race "a once-in-a-generation moment" for the district.

Why is Bradley Wiggins the speaker to book for the Grand Départ?

Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France in 2012, the first British rider to do so, and took Olympic time trial gold in London ten days later. He has eight Olympic medals, five of them gold, and set the hour record in 2015. For a British audience watching the Tour arrive on home roads, his is the name most closely tied to the race.

He also has history with the Tour's visits to Britain. He rode the London prologue in 2007 and finished fourth, then missed the Yorkshire Grand Départ in 2014 when Team Sky left him out of their line-up. In 2027 the race comes to him: stage 2 passes through Chorley, and in 2012 Bradley was living in Eccleston, a village in the borough.

PepTalk Fact: Royal Mail painted two postboxes gold for Bradley after London 2012, one in Eccleston and one in Chorley town centre 📮

What does Bradley Wiggins talk about as a speaker?

Bradley Wiggins speaks about high performance, resilience and the mental side of elite sport, drawing on a career that spanned five Olympic Games on both track and road. He is candid about what happened once the racing stopped, which is the subject of his 2025 memoir, The Chain.

"Back in 2012, everyone knew who Bradley Wiggins was. Everyone, that is, but me," he said when the book was announced. He described it as being "about what happens when the race is over". The Chain was shortlisted for Autobiography of the Year at the 2026 Sports Book Awards.

The race stories lead somewhere practical. Bradley covers how to set and reset ambitious goals, how to move between disciplines and keep momentum, and why mental health belongs in any serious conversation about high performance. Those themes travel well beyond cycling, which is why he works for a leadership conference as well as a race-week dinner.

Which Grand Départ events suit a speaker like Bradley Wiggins?

Any event that uses the Grand Départ as its reason to gather suits Bradley Wiggins, and four types come up most often: civic and community events run by councils on the route, sponsor and corporate hospitality on race days, staff events for businesses in host towns, and fundraising dinners for clubs and charities. PepTalk has already confirmed two bookings for Bradley tied to the 2027 Grand Départ, one of them for a council on the stage 2 route.

Councils and destination teams tend to want a headline name for a business breakfast or a countdown event that gets local employers involved. Hospitality and sponsor teams want someone who can explain what the room is about to watch. A hosted Q&A suits both, because the audience arrives with questions about the race and about 2012.

When should you book a speaker for the Grand Départ?

Book a Grand Départ speaker as early as you can, because the demand lands on a handful of fixed dates: July 2nd to July 4th for the men's race and July 30th to August 1st for the Femmes. One speaker can only be in one host town on race day, and the countdown events in spring 2027 will fill the weeks before it.

If the Tour is one date in a wider programme, our guide to UK events and speakers to book now covers the rest of the 2026-27 calendar, and 2027's biggest sports events sets out the other fixtures to plan around. For more names from British sport, see our British Olympic and Paralympic speakers.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ in the UK?

The 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ takes place in the UK from July 2nd to July 4th, 2027, starting in Edinburgh and finishing its British leg in Cardiff. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starts in Leeds on July 30th, 2027.

Does the 2027 Tour de France pass through Lancaster?

Yes, the 2027 Tour de France passes through Lancaster on stage 2, Keswick to Liverpool, on Saturday July 3rd, 2027. The stage also takes in Carnforth, Morecambe and the climb of Jubilee Tower before heading into the Forest of Bowland.

Can I book Bradley Wiggins as a speaker for a Tour de France event?

Yes, you can book Sir Bradley Wiggins as a speaker for a Tour de France event through PepTalk. He was the first Briton to win the Tour de France, in 2012, and speaks at in-person and virtual events.

What does Bradley Wiggins speak about?

Bradley Wiggins speaks about high performance, resilience, managing change and the mental side of elite sport. He draws on his 2012 Tour de France win, five Olympic Games and his 2025 memoir, The Chain.

How much does it cost to book Bradley Wiggins?

Booking Sir Bradley Wiggins costs an estimated £11,000 to £25,000 for a local in-person event. The fee varies with location and format, so the PepTalk team confirms a quote for each brief.

💡 Planning an event around the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ? Get in touch with the PepTalk team and we'll check availability for Sir Bradley Wiggins and scope the right format for your audience. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!