Full Breakdown
2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes routes unveiled: British Grand Départ, record time-trial kilometres and a Pyrenean finale
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event – Route announcement and key features
On 22 October 2026 the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) presented the itineraries for the 114th Tour de France and the sixth Tour de France Femmes. Both races will open outside France for the first time in the same year, with the men’s Grand Départ in Edinburgh on 2 July 2027 and the women’s in Leeds on 30 July 2027. The men’s 21-stage, 3 479 km route includes two individual time trials totalling 71 km—the most since 2012—and a decisive Pyrenean queen stage finishing on the Col du Portet. The women’s nine-stage, 1 156 km course features three British stages, an inaugural women’s team time trial in central London, and a summit finish on the volcanic Puy de Dôme on 7 August 2027.
Background & Context – Previous Grand Départs and race evolution
The Tour’s foreign Grand Départs have become regular; 2027 marks the fourth such start in five years and the third in Britain after 2014 and 2018. The 2026 route began in Barcelona with a team time trial, but the 2027 edition drops the team trial in favour of longer individual efforts, reflecting the rise of time-trial specialists. The women’s race, revived in 2022, has visited the United Kingdom twice (the Netherlands 2024, Switzerland 2026); 2027 will be its first British Grand Départ.
Data & Statistics – Distances, stages and elevation
- Men’s Tour: 21 stages, 3 479 km, 54 450 m climbing.
- British opening: Stage 1 Edinburgh -> Carlisle, 184 km (flat); Stage 2 Keswick -> Liverpool, 223 km (hilly); Stage 3 Welshpool -> Cardiff, 223 km (Ardennes-style).
- Time trials: Stage 7 Blois -> Chambord, 38 km (flat); Stage 16 Toulouse -> Toulouse, 33 km (out-and-back with a short steep climb).
- Mountain highlights: Grand Colombier (stage 9), Les Saisies (stage 11), Col du Portet (stage 18, 2 215 m).
- Women’s Tour Femmes: 9 stages, 1 156 km, 17 665 m climbing.
- British opening: Stage 1 Leeds -> Manchester, 87.5 km (rolling); Stage 2 Manchester -> Sheffield, 154.4 km (seven categorized climbs); Stage 3 London team time trial, 18 km (first ever).
- French phase: stages 4–6 across northern France, stage 7 Nevers -> La Loge des Gardes (summit finish); stage 8 La Bourboule -> Clermont-Ferrand (mountainous); stage 9 Clermont-Ferrand -> Puy de Dôme (170 km, 3 840 m gain).
Official Statements & Responses – Organisers’ perspective
Tour director Christian Prudhomme said the Pyrenean stages are intended to keep the general-classification battle alive until the final week. Women’s race director Marion Rousse highlighted the historic British Grand Départ and the London team time trial, calling the Puy de Dôme finish “the key to the action.” Local officials in Scotland, Wales and England echoed the excitement, noting economic and community benefits.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps – Montmartre and Alpine climbs
French press reports differ on whether the iconic Montmartre climb will return for the final Paris stage. Le Progrès suggested its removal, while Le Parisien reported it will stay, leaving the Paris finale uncertain. In the women’s race, the route omits both the Alps and the Pyrenees, focusing on the Massif Central; analysts note this limits the variety of high-mountain challenges compared with previous editions.