Key points:
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will kick off the 2027 edition with three stages on English roads, a month after the Grand Départ of the men’s peloton in Great Britain.
In Manchester, the Maillot Jaune could go to a sprinter, after a first stage without any major difficulties, starting from Leeds, the city of Beryl Burton.
Yorkshire and its pioneers, including Lizzie Deignan, will once again take centre stage on the second day of racing, when the peloton heads to Sheffield, before a third stage in London.
A historic and vibrant Grand Départ. In 2027, the peloton of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will cross the sea for the first time in its history to take on three stages in England, one month after the Grand Départ Great Britain of the men’s Tour de France. From Leeds to London, passing by Manchester and Sheffield, the route will bring varied challenges. The racing shall be intense to honour the region’s rich cycling history, through lands that have seen the emergence of some great pioneers.
Champions and spectators will gather in Leeds, where the first stage will start on Friday 30 July. The capital of Yorkshire previously hosted the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2014. At the finish in Harrogate, Marcel Kittel sprinted to the Maillot Jaune. A few decades earlier, the city welcomed Millie Robinson and gave birth to Beryl Burton, two of the most illustrious pioneers of British and world cycling. More recently, Yorkshire has seen the emergence of Lizzie Deignan, who has achieved multiple conquests on and off the road, and the young prodigy Cat Ferguson.
In 2027, the riders will leave Leeds to head to Manchester, home to British Cycling. Close to the famous velodrome, the scene of many historic performances since 1994, the sprinters will be able to draw inspiration from the iconic Sarah Storey and emulate the Dutch arrows Lorena Wiebes and Charlotte Kool, whose speed powered them to the first Maillot Jaune in 2022 (in Paris, France) and 2024 (The Hague, Netherlands).
The next day, the peloton will set off from Manchester, cross the famous Snake Pass, and return to Yorkshire. The finish in Sheffield will once again echo the 2014 Tour de France: at the end of stage 2, the overall lead changed hands after Vincenzo Nibali’s late attack. The riders will arrive at the same place, but in the opposite direction. Another change of leader could occur on this occasion.
Finally, the third stage will take place in London, where Fabian Cancellara dominated the Grand Départ of the Tour 2007, before Kittel’s sprint victory in 2014. Emma Pooley’s city, where Wiebes has won the RideLondon Classic three times, will now welcome the stars of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Alongside the route announcement, organisers also revealed Joy, the social impact programme at the heart of the 2027 Grand Départ, that aims to tackle inactivity and improve mental wellbeing, support communities to thrive, and to make Britain more productive and prosperous through cycling.
