The 2027 Tour de France spends three days in Britain, from Edinburgh on Friday, July 2 to Cardiff on Sunday, July 4, and the Tour de France Femmes spends three more, from Leeds on Friday, July 30 to London on Sunday, August 1.
| Day | Race | Route | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, July 2 | Men | Edinburgh to Carlisle | 185 km |
| Sat, July 3 | Men | Keswick to Liverpool | 223 km |
| Sun, July 4 | Men | Welshpool to Cardiff | 223 km |
| Fri, July 30 | Women | Leeds to Manchester | 86 km |
| Sat, July 31 | Women | Manchester to Sheffield | 154 km |
| Sun, August 1 | Women | London team time trial | 18 km |
The men’s Tour: Edinburgh, Carlisle, Liverpool, Cardiff
ASO calls the Edinburgh start the northernmost Grand Départ in Tour history and the third in Great Britain, after London in 2007 and Yorkshire in 2014. The 2014 start opened with Marcel Kittel winning in Harrogate and Vincenzo Nibali winning in Sheffield the next day.
Stage 1 leaves the Palace of Holyroodhouse, climbs the Royal Mile and then spends most of its 185 km in the Scottish Borders, through Innerleithen, Galashiels, Melrose, Hawick and Newcastleton, before it crosses into Cumbria and finishes in Carlisle. Euan Jardine, leader of Scottish Borders Council, called it “an incredible honour for the Scottish Borders to host the majority of Stage 1 of the 2027 Tour de France.”
Stage 2 runs 223 km south from Keswick beside Thirlmere, Grasmere, Rydal Water and Windermere, through Lancashire and past the Forest of Bowland, to the Strand in Liverpool.
Stage 3 runs 223 km from Welshpool over the Brecon Beacons and through the Rhondda and Cynon valleys to Cardiff. It is the first Tour stage held in Wales. First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “Wales is proud to host a stage of the Tour de France Grand Depart for the first time in 2027.”
The race then rests on Monday, July 5 in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, in France. The team presentation comes earlier, on Wednesday, June 30, 2027, on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.
The women’s Tour: Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, London
The women’s Tour has never been in Britain. Stage 1 is 86 km from the Headrow in Leeds across the Pennines to Deansgate in Manchester. Stage 2 is 154 km from Manchester through the Peak District to Sheffield, on roads the men’s Tour used in 2014. Stage 3 is the first team time trial in the race’s history, 18 km through central London to The Mall.
Cat Ferguson, a Movistar rider from Yorkshire, called the prospect of the London time trial a “full circle moment.” The race crosses to France the next morning, with stage 4 starting in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage on Monday, August 2.
Two likely sprints and a punchy day in Wales
Stage 1 is flat and should end in a sprint in Carlisle. Stage 2 has five categorized climbs, according to ProCyclingUK, and Cyclist magazine still expects a sprint on the Strand. Stage 3 is hilly, with about 3,000 meters of climbing, and race director Christian Prudhomme expects it to suit the punchy riders.
ProCyclingUK puts the Caerphilly climb at 2 km at 8.2 percent, about 12 km from the finish in Cardiff. Three days in Britain will not decide the Tour, but a rider who is badly placed on the Welsh roads can lose seconds before the race reaches France.
What the host councils expect
Cumberland Council leader Mark Fryer said: “We will be hosting a start and a finish event, over two stages and two days.” The council describes the Carlisle finish as outside the city’s medieval castle.
Lancashire County Council’s Stephen Atkinson called the Tour “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase our beautiful county to a global audience.” Lancashire counts about 80 miles of the stage 2 route.
Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Andrew Morgan said: “We can’t wait to showcase our beautiful scenery as the backdrop of the Welsh stage.” The council names Rhigos, Penrhys and Maerdy among the climbs.
Edinburgh’s route through the city runs from Holyroodhouse up the Royal Mile, along North Bridge and Princes Street, up the Mound and past the Castle esplanade, then down to the Grassmarket and on through Newington and Cameron Toll. The councils expect start times between about 11:00 and 14:00 and finishes between 16:00 and 17:00, but ASO has not confirmed them.
Where to watch
BikeBiz reports that Channel 5 will show live coverage of the British stages of both races free to air, with TNT Sports continuing its live coverage. ASO has not published stage start times or the complete list of broadcasters. The Tour de France 2027 watch page and the Tour de France Femmes 2027 watch page list the broadcasters confirmed so far.
Every stage is on the 2027 Tour de France page and the 2027 Tour de France Femmes page; ASO publishes its own men’s route and women’s route.