The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 will begin in the UK with organisers ASO announcing the details of the first three stages held from July 30 to August 1, including a debut team time trial on the streets of London moving into France.
“The Team Time Trial has always been one of the most exciting and spectacular formats in cycling, and we are very proud that the first one in the history of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will take place in London,” said Marion Rousse, race director of the Tour de France Femmes in an official announcement on Monday.
“The United Kingdom has already shown its passion for the Tour, and these stages will once again showcase the energy of the crowds, the beauty of the landscapes and the growing importance of women’s cycling on the world stage.”
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is schedule for July 30 to August 7 next summer. The opening stage 1 will feature an 85.7km race from Leeds to Manchester, while stage 2 will take the peloton on a 154.4km race from Manchester to Sheffield. The Grand Départ will conclude with a debut team time trial that will cover 18km in London, finishing on The Mall.
ASO had already confirmed that the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes will both start in the United Kingdom in 2027. The men’s race will start in Edinburgh and will feature stages in Scotland, England and Wales from July 2 to 4 before crossing into France, and mark the fifth time that the Tour has visited the UK – after Grand Départs in 2007 and 2014, and stages in 1994 and 1974.
2027 will therefore mark the first time that the men’s and women’s Grand Départs have been hosted in the same foreign country with the women’s event beginning in Paris in 2022, Clermont-Ferrand in 2023, Rotterdam in 2024 and Vannes in 2025.
“Having the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift so close to home feels like a full circle moment for me. I watched the men’s race in 2014 from the side of my home roads as a young kid, and now I hope to have the opportunity next year to line up and race in the peloton,” said British talent Cat Ferguson (Movistar).
“I truly appreciate how far women’s pro cycling has come. If I can inspire some women or young girls, even in a small way, to get out on their bikes, that would make me very happy. I know that UK fans will make this an unforgettable experience for all riders. Bring on the 2027 Grand Départ.”
Flora Perkins (Fenix-Premier Tech), who competed in her firt Tour last year added: “I am genuinely so excited for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to come to London, where I grew up riding my bike. To race the team time trial along such iconic roads and compete at the pinnacle of the sport in front of family and friends will feel surreal.”
Stage 1: Leeds to Manchester, 85.7km
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Stage 1 will start from Headrow in central Leeds, for the first-ever Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift stage to be held in Britain. It will be marked with three categoriesed ascents and one for the opportunits.
The peloton will pass through Headingley and the west of the city, crossing into Kirklees and passing through Heckmondwike and Mirfield to reach Huddersfield.
The route will head south to cross the Pennines, with the first categorised climb being Kirkheaton Hill (1.7km at 7.5%), followed by Meltham Hill (3.2km at 8.4%), before descending towards Oldham alongside Dove Stone Reservoir.
The riders will then tackle the Delph climb (2.1km at 6.3%) some twenty kilometres from the finish, before skirting the north of Greater Manchester via Rochdale and entering the centre of Manchester. After passing Manchester Cathedral, the finish line will be set up on Deansgate.
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Stage 2: Manchester to Sheffield, 154.4km
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Stage 2 will bring the peloton another day of relentless climbing iwth seven categorised climbs across the 154.4km race from Manchester through Derbyshire and the Peak District National Park to Sheffield.
After Stockport, Marple and New Mills, the first challenges will come in the form of the unclassified climb up Long Hill before Buxton (34.6km).
The stage will feature nearly 3,000 metres of climbing, with ascents over Côte de Calton, Winnats Pass, Côte de Chunal, Snake Pass, and Côte de Bradfield before entering Sheffield to tackle Côte d’Oughtibridge and Côte de Jenkin Road before finishing on Attercliffe Common.
Stage 3: London Team Time Trial, 18km
Organisers have offered limited details about the debut team time trial at the Tour de France Femmes, but confirmed that the teams will race along an 18km course that finishes on The Mall.
“Revealing the first two stages today and confirming London as the host of the first ever team time trial in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is another exciting milestone on the road to 2027. From the climbs of Yorkshire and the Peak District to the streets of London, these stages will deliver incredible racing and unforgettable moments for fans,” said Paul Bush, managing director for Grand Départ GB 2027.