The Tour de France Femmes will make history in 2027 as London hosts the final stage of the prestigious women’s cycling race for the first time outside France. The London showpiece will serve as the culmination of the event’s first-ever British Grand Départ, marking a significant milestone in the race’s evolution since its inception in 2022.
The 2027 edition will begin with three stages across northern England before reaching London. Stage 1 starts in Leeds and finishes in Manchester, taking riders across the hilly terrain of the Pennines. The second stage departs from Manchester and concludes in Sheffield, featuring challenging climbs through the Peak District, including the notable Côte de Snake Pass, a 6.1-kilometer ascent with a 5.7% gradient.
Racing across the Pennines with punishing climbs and iconic roads – the Tour de France Femmes brings elite women’s cycling to northern England’s challenging terrain.
The third stage will deliver riders to London’s iconic streets for the finale after crossing the Pennines. This historic conclusion aligns with the broader theme of the British Grand Départ, the first since the men’s Tour visited in 2014. The flat urban circuits in London will likely set up either a sprint finish or an opportunity for a breakaway, contrasting with the hilly terrain of the opening stages. Similar to the 2024 Rotterdam stage, London’s flat terrain will provide an ideal setting for powerful sprint specialists to showcase their abilities.
The move to the UK represents significant growth for the Tour de France Femmes, which has been steadily expanding since 2022. The race evolved from eight stages in its initial years to nine stages by 2025, with the 2026 edition featuring a diverse mix of flat, hilly, and mountain stages, plus a 21-kilometer individual time trial. This growth reflects the increasing popularity of women’s cycling, which traditionally featured events with eight categorized climbs across multiple stages as seen in the 2024 Tour.
The 2027 British stages will run in conjunction with the men’s Tour, which will also feature a route from Edinburgh to London. This parallel scheduling highlights the increasing international profile of women’s cycling. The London finale stands in contrast to previous editions, which concluded at locations like Alpe d’Huez in 2024 and Mont Ventoux in 2026, and signals the race organizers’ commitment to expanding the event’s global footprint while maintaining its nine-stage format with 154 riders across 22 teams. British Cycling plans to recruit over 7,000 volunteers to support the historic races and create a lasting legacy for the cycling community.
