The men's and women's Tour begins in the United Kingdom

Meeste ja naiste Tour algab Ühendkuningriigis

The 2027 men's and women's Tour de France will begin in the United Kingdom, visiting several major cities such as Manchester, Cardiff, and London. The news that the UK will be the first foreign country to host the opening stages of both the men's and women's Tours was announced last year. The start and finish locations for all six stages have now been confirmed.

The women's race will begin in Leeds on Friday, July 30, and cross the Pennines to finish in England's second-largest city, Manchester. The stage is particularly well-suited for sprinters.

The second stage will start in Manchester and travel through the hilly Peak District before finishing in Sheffield, Yorkshire. This challenging stage includes some of the toughest climbs in the UK within the Peak District, such as the Snake Pass, and the route partially follows roads used during the 2014 Yorkshire Grand Départ.

In the third stage, the race will visit the capital, London, with more specific details of that stage to be revealed in the spring. Previous Grand Départs held in Great Britain in 2007 and 2014 also visited London, with finishes taking place on the sprinter-friendly The Mall.

The men's race, which reaches the UK a month earlier, will start in Edinburgh on Friday, July 2, and head south towards the medieval castle in Carlisle. While the route through the Scottish Borders may not be very smooth, the stage features only one categorized climb, which organizers have named the Côte de Melrose. Race director Christian Prudhomme predicted that the stage will end in a bunch sprint, awarding the first yellow jersey to a sprinter.

The second stage will begin in Keswick in the Lake District and head south through the national park and its most famous lakes, continuing to Lancashire and Merseyside, and finishing on The Strand in Liverpool city center. The total length of the stage is 223 km and it includes five categorized climbs.

The third stage will take place entirely in Wales, starting in Welshpool – a popular stop on the Tour of Britain – and heading south to the capital, Cardiff. The final 80 kilometers in the Valleys region feature six categorized climbs, the last of which is just 12 km before the finish.

Instead of continuing to race in France immediately on Monday, an additional travel day will be added on July 5. This also creates the possibility for the race to continue in France outside of the northern region closest to the UK. The remaining routes for the 2027 men's and women's Tours will be revealed later.

One thing is certain, however – six stages through Scotland, England, and Wales will make this the largest free-to-watch sporting event in UK history.