The opening three stages of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift were revealed today, with London to host the first team trial in the history of the women’s race.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Grand Départ will begin on Friday 30 July in Leeds. The peloton will ride just over 85km to Manchester, in what promises to be a dynamic stage for the sprinters.
The second stage will resume in Manchester before taking in much of the Peak District. It will include the famous Winnats Pass and Snake Pass, before ending in Sheffield after 154km and 3,000m of climbing.
On Sunday 1 August, London will host the first team time trial in the women's race’s history. The complete course will be revealed later this year, but the time trial will pass “iconic landmarks”.
“The historic stage will see the world’s best riders racing together against the clock in their seven-rider teams via an iconic central London circuit of approximately 18 kilometres, culminating in a spectacular finish on The Mall, one of Britain’s most iconic sporting backdrops,” the race organisers said.
Race director Marion Rousse said: “The team time trial has always been one of the most exciting and spectacular formats in cycling, and we are very proud that the first one in the history of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will take place in London.”
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he is proud the city will host the event and that “London is a cycling city”, pointing to Transport for London data that revealed 1.5 million bicycle trips are made in the capital every day.
“[T]his global sporting event will inspire the next generation of women cyclists and help build a better London for everyone,” said Khan.
Rousse added that the three stages “will be harder than they seem” and “a huge step forward for women's cycling”.
The last time the Grand Départ came to Britain was 2014. Movistar Team rider Cat Ferguson said: “I like to think if we had a women's race in 2014 how many more girls it could have inspired.”
The race organisers anticipate the Grand Départ will be “the most attended women’s sporting event ever staged in Britain”.
This will be the first time the men’s and women’s races begin in the same country. The men’s 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ will start in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July. It will finish in Cardiff on Sunday 4 July.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 Grand Départ
Stage 1: Leeds > Manchester
- Friday 30 July 2027
- 85.7km
- 1,390m elevation
On Friday 30 July, the women’s peloton will roll out from Headrow, central Leeds, just as the the men’s peloton did when the Tour de France began in the UK in 2014.
The route will cross into Kirklees and pass through Heckmondwike and Mirfield, then climb the Côte de Kirkheaton before reaching Huddersfield. The stage then crosses the Pennines and climbs the Côte de Meltham in the Peak District.
The 85.7km stage will then circle the north of Manchester through Rochester before entering the city centre and finishing on Deansgate.
Stage 2: Manchester > Sheffield
- Saturday 31 July 2027
- 154.4km
- 3,000m elevation
On stage 2, the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will continue from Manchester before heading through Derbyshire and the Peak District.
It will head through Stockport, Marple and New Mills before tackling Winnats Pass and Snake Pass.
After passing through the Peak District, the peloton will complete the 154.4km stage, with 3,000m of climbing, in Sheffield.
Rousse said the stage will likely be the hardest we've ever seen in a Grand Départ.
There was concern over the inclusion of Snake Pass on stage 2, which is suffering from subsidence and is said to need millions of pounds spending to stabilise the road surface.
But the organisers explained they are working with local partners to make sure the road is safe. Rousse said: “We've used much more complicated roads in the past.”
Stage 3: London
- Sunday 1 August 2027
- Approximately 18km
- Elevation gain TBA
The final stage of the Grand Départ will take place in London. It will see the riders take on the first team time trial in the race's history.
The race organisers expect thousands of spectators to line the route outside locations such as the Houses of Parliament, London Eye and Tower Bridge.
These landmarks suggest the stage will hug the River Thames. But the full route will be revealed later this year during the presentation of the Tour de France avec Zwift route in Paris.
