LONDON — Tour de France organizers unveiled Tour de France 2027 UK opening routes that will start the men’s race in Edinburgh and end its British leg in Cardiff and launch the women’s race in Leeds before a finale in the capital in July 2027. The dual Grand Départs will span Scotland, England and Wales and are being pitched as a boost for participation and community sport, Jan. 15, 2026.
Tour de France 2027 UK routes: Edinburgh to Cardiff, Leeds to London
A Reuters report said each race will get three UK stages, making Britain the launchpad for both the men’s Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Men’s Tour (starts July 2, 2027): Edinburgh to Carlisle, Keswick to Liverpool, then Welshpool to Cardiff.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (starts July 30, 2027): Leeds to Manchester, Manchester to Sheffield via Snake Pass, then a stage finish in London.
The Tour’s official stage preview calls the men’s opener a north-to-south link between the Scottish and Welsh capitals, with early sprint chances before harder terrain toward Liverpool and Wales, according to organizers.
For the women’s race, director Marion Rousse said: “These stages clearly reflect the race’s ambition: to continue growing women’s cycling and to inspire future generations.” The host committee says the double start — with the women’s race visiting Britain for the first time — will be paired with outreach beyond race weekend, outlined on the official Grand Départ Great Britain 2027 site.
British Cycling said it will recruit more than 7,000 volunteers and roll out a social program called Joy, while describing the event as the “largest free sporting spectacle in British history,” in its route announcement. UK Sport said host cities and towns were lit up in a nationwide “Tour de Skies” moment as the routes were confirmed, in a UK Sport statement.
Tour de France 2027 UK builds on a proven crowd playbook
Tour de France 2027 UK follows Britain’s previous Grand Départs in London (2007) and Yorkshire (2014). A UK Sport impact review of the 2014 Yorkshire start estimated the opening generated about £130 million for host-region economies and drew 3.5 million people to the roadside, according to a 2014 evaluation report.
British Cycling’s 2013 coverage of the 2014 plans underscored how the London start helped bring the race back — and how expectations rose when Yorkshire got the nod, as outlined in a 2013 article.
The road to the 2027 return has been a two-step reveal. Reuters first reported in March 2025 that Edinburgh would host the men’s start and that the women’s race would also come to Britain, with detailed routes to be confirmed later, in an earlier briefing.
Organizers have not yet published the full 2027 routes once the races cross the Channel, but Tour de France 2027 UK is expected to set an early narrative before the peloton heads to France.
