Ten host locations. Six stages. Two races. One Grand Départ!

The start and finish locations for the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift have been unveiled tonight, as the ten host cities and towns were illuminated simultaneously in a nationwide “Tour de Skies” moment, marking the next major milestone on the road to the historic Grand Départs, which will be the largest free sporting spectacle in British history.

The announcement also reveals the full UK route for the men’s event, and Leeds as the start location for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, on Friday 30 July 2027, before crossing the Pennines to Manchester, then returning to Sheffield via the climbs of the Peak District before concluding with a showpiece stage in London.

The men’s Tour de France will begin in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July 2027, with an opening stage heading to Carlisle, before visiting Keswick, Liverpool and Welshpool, finishing the UK leg of the world’s biggest annual sporting event in Cardiff.

To celebrate the moment, all 10 start and finish venues were lit up simultaneously, with a yellow beam illuminating the sky, with prominent locations providing a stunning backdrop.

Leeds Civic Hall – close to the Headrow, the start location for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – was transformed into a striking canvas, celebrating past British Grand Départs and revealing all six UK stages for the first time, as they wind their way across the country.

From the castles of Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Powis, to the Moot Hall in Keswick, across the iconic Liverpool waterfront and the London skyline, the coordinated yellow beams celebrated each region’s role in welcoming the Grand Départ while uniting the UK in one national moment of anticipation ahead of 2027.

Alongside the host venues, first details of Joy, the social impact programme that will embed community impact at the heart of the 2027 Grand Départ was announced, while British Cycling also confirmed that 7,000 volunteers will be recruited to support the delivery of the world’s biggest free-to-watch sporting event.

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