Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes to start in UK in 2027; six British stages revealed
Organisers have released street-by-street details for six British-based stages that will open the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes, with the men's race starting on 2 July and the women's event starting on 30 July, the Tour's organisers ASO announced at a ceremony in Paris on Thursday.
The announcement formalised a Super Grand Depart that will see both races begin in the United Kingdom, a first for the Tour and the Tour de France Femmes. Stages in the men's three-week race will take place from 2 to 4 July across Scotland, England and Wales, while the nine-stage opening section of the women's race runs from 30 July and finishes with a team time trial in London.
The men's opening stage is a 184km route from Edinburgh to Carlisle that includes a 2.2km climb up the Cote de Melrose, noted as being a few miles from the birthplace of Netcompany Ineos contender Oscar Onley. Stage two is a 223km leg from Keswick to Liverpool featuring five categorised climbs and 2,800 metres of ascending, and the third British stage is a 223km route from Welshpool to Cardiff with eight categorised hills and about 3,000m of climbing.
Men's race director Christian Prudhomme said: "Just a few weeks apart, the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will each take their respective pelotons on a journey through the roads of the United Kingdom. "Along with what we anticipate will be a warm and massive welcome for the champions, Great Britain also offers us a symbol that further ties the two races together. From the start on 2 July at the foot of Edinburgh Castle, which will be the northernmost in the history of the Tour, to a team time trial in London on 1 August. "Needless to say, there will be thousands of thrills and emotions."
The Tour de France Femmes opening stage on Friday 30 July is an 85.7km race from Leeds to Manchester that takes in three climbs, including the Cote de Meltham which is 3.2km long at an average elevation of 8.4%. The second stage runs 154.4km from Manchester to Sheffield and includes Winnats Pass in the Peak District — 1.4km at 12.3% average elevation — one of seven climbs that day. The women's Grand Depart concludes with an 18km team time trial circuit in central London starting on Whitehall, passing Trafalgar Square and Tower Bridge, and finishing along The Mall.
Paul Bush, managing director of the Grand Depart GB 2027, described the announcement as an "extraordinary, and historic moment" and said: "These routes showcase what a spectacular stage Scotland, England and Wales will provide. The women's team time trial will be such a memorable moment, passing through the heart of London, finishing on The Mall – the first of its kind in the modern history of the race." UK Government sports minister Stephanie Peacock said: "Our £32m will fund the races and a lasting legacy, so the public feel the benefits long after the last rider crosses the line."
Stages of the Tour have previously been held in the UK in 1974, 1994 and 2007, and the Yorkshire Grand Depart took place in 2014. When the Tour last came to the UK in 2014 more than 2.5m fans watched the race from the roadside; that event covered only two stages of the men's race across Yorkshire and later coincided with the creation — and eventual disappearance from the calendar — of the Tour de Yorkshire. The organisers note that 2026 featured a record number of British riders across the men's and women's World Tour pelotons, at 49, and included Matt Brennan's five stage wins at Spain's Tour de France equivalent, the Vuelta a Espana, in September.
ASO's presentation at the Palais de Congres in Paris provided the detailed maps and profiles for all six British stages, confirming that the men's race will begin on 2 July with the Edinburgh to Carlisle stage and that the Tour de France Femmes will start on 30 July with the Leeds to Manchester stage, the women's opening section to be completed by the London 18km team time trial.