The routes have been revealed for the British stages of the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes races.
The three stages of the men’s Grand Départ will take place from 2nd to 4th July, with the first day running from Edinburgh to Carlisle, followed by Keswick to Liverpool before finishing off with Welshpool to Cardiff before a rest day as the peloton heads to France.
The women’s race kicks off a month later from 30th July to 1st August with stages from Leeds to Manchester, Manchester to Sheffield and a London stage. It is the first time a nation other than France has hosted both men’s and women’s Grand Départs in the same year.
Men’s Tour de France 2027 UK Grand Départ route
The 2027 Tour de France Grand Depart gets underway on Friday 2nd July with the opening stage from Edinburgh to Carlisle being 184km.
It passes over the only King of the Mountains climb of the ‘Côte de Melrose’ (2.2km, 6.7%) for the first polka-dot jersey while traversing the Scottish border, speeding past Dumfries & Galloway and into Cumberland to finish outside Carlisle’s medieval castle. The first yellow jersey is set to be one for the sprinters to fight out.
Stage 2 is 223km and takes the peloton from Keswick to Liverpool via the beauty of the Lake District, with five punchy hills to contend with as the day’s winner will be crowned on The Strand in Liverpool.
The pièce de résistance. More climbing hits on Stage 3 from Welshpool to Cardiff, which is also set to be 223km. Eight classified climbs await, with six hitting in the final 80km through the South Wales valleys. The ‘Côte de Rhigos’ and the ‘Côte de Caerffili’ will be decisive as they feature in the final kilometres, where GC men and puncheurs come to the fore for an explosive finale.
Tour de France Femmes 2027 UK Grand Départ route
The 2027 Tour de France Femmes begins on Friday 30th July in Leeds, taking riders over the Pennines towards Manchester and is suited for the sprinters, so expect Lorena Wiebes to be eyeing the maillot jaune. Stage 2 on Saturday 31st July will depart from Manchester, travelling through the Peak District and over the ‘Côte de Snake Pass’. Stage 3 begins and ends in London – more details on the stages will be announced soon.
Marion Rousse, Tour de France Femmes race director said, ‘The United Kingdom has played an important role in the history of women’s cycling, with champions such as Lizzie Armitstead-Deignan. Starting the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Leeds is a strong choice, closely linked to this heritage and to the enthusiasm of a public that knows and loves the Tour. These stages clearly reflect the race’s ambition: to continue growing women’s cycling and to inspire future generations.’
A social impact programme titled ‘Joy’ is also being launched around the 2027 Grand Départ to tackle inactivity and improve mental wellbeing for young people to develop skills and to break down barriers for girls in sport.
British Cycling is also hoping to recruit over than 7,000 volunteers in roles such as route operations, spectator support and community engagement. More details on this are set to be announced in the spring.
