British Roads to Host Tour de France Femmes for First Time
The routes for the three UK stages of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes have been announced, with riders describing the course as "super brutal." This marks the first occasion the women's edition of the Tour de France will take place on British roads.
A demanding 154km second stage from Manchester to Sheffield stands out, featuring nearly 3,000 meters of climbing and the iconic Winnats Pass in the Peak District. Organiser ASO has described this as "one of the hardest Grand Depart stages we've ever seen before."
The race will also include a stage from Leeds covering 85.7km to a probable sprint finish in Manchester, followed by an approximately 18km team time trial concluding on London's Pall Mall for the third stage—a first for the women's event. The precise time trial route will be disclosed in October.
"Having the Tour de France Femmes Avec Swift so close to home feels like a full circle moment for me," said Movistar's English rider Cat Ferguson, born in the Yorkshire town of Skipton.
"I watched the men's [Grand Depart in Yorkshire] 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."
Ferguson, 19, added: "I trained on those roads and I know they're going to be super brutal stages. Stage two in particular - always up and down. It's really going to be one [stage] that can change the Tour. The GC leaders can lose a lot."
The opening three stages of both the men's (starting 2 July) and women's (starting 30 July) editions of cycling's premier race will take place across Britain next year. The men's race route details for stages from Edinburgh, Keswick, and Welshpool were revealed in January.
The stages are being promoted as "the most accessible major sporting spectacle ever held in Britain," according to the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It is estimated that the Grand Departs of both races will pass within an hour's drive of 60% of the population, offering free spectating along more than 900km (559 miles) of public roads.
This will be the first time both the men's and women's Grand Departs have occurred in the same country outside of France. The men's race previously began in Britain in 1974, 1994, 2007, and 2014, with an estimated 4.8 million spectators lining the roadside in 2014.
The 2014 edition followed the first British victories in the Tour, with Bradley Wiggins winning in 2012 and Chris Froome in 2013, both representing Team Sky.
Tour de France Femmes race director Marion Rousse said: "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 announcement event included riders and leaders alongside seven young girls participating in the JOY programme, which aims to combat inactivity and enhance mental wellbeing in Britain.
Analysis: A Victory for Road Cycling in Britain
Hosting six stages in total of the world's largest cycling races—events that organisers report attract a billion viewing hours on television across 190 countries for the men's race—is unprecedented.
In 2014, three stages of the men's Tour were held in Yorkshire and London, and since then, the sport's global popularity has increased. The previous UK-hosted races coincided with a golden era producing champions such as Wiggins, four-time winner Froome, 2018 victor Geraint Thomas, sprinter Mark Cavendish, and Lizzie Deignan.
Currently, the UCI World Tour features a combined record of 49 male and female British riders, many with strong prospects of winning major events.
However, this resurgence comes at a critical time: British Cycling memberships have been declining, and in 2024, the organisation intervened to save the men's and women's Tours of Britain from collapse.
Organising bike races in the UK is considerably more expensive than on the continent due to substantial policing costs required for high-speed events on closed public roads. The race convoy typically includes around 40 cars and as many motorbikes.
Race organisers generate revenue through television rights and charge fees to towns and cities that wish to host the race to promote themselves. Although no official figures have been released, estimates suggest the cost of hosting all these stages exceeds £50 million, predominantly funded by central government and local authorities.
