GRAND DÉPART

What is the ​Tour de France Grand Départ 2027

In summer 2027, the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will both begin in Great Britain – the first time both Grand Départs have taken place in the same country, outside France.

 

The men’s Tour de France is the world’s largest annual sporting event with over 120 years of history, featuring the very best professional teams and riders, and has visited Britain on four occasions.

 

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was launched in 2022 and is the world’s biggest women’s professional cycle race. It will be visiting Britain for the first time, and like the men’s race is completely free-to-attend for spectators.

 

The joint UK Grand Départs mark an important moment for cycling, with both the men’s and women’s Tours showcased on one of the world’s greatest sporting stages. With millions of spectators expected, it will be the largest free-to-watch sporting event in UK history.

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When is it taking place?

Britain will host six stages of racing as a part of the 2027 Grand Départ. Firstly, in July three stages of the men’s Tour de France between Friday 2 and Sunday 4 July in the following locations:

 

• Friday 2 July, Edinburgh to Carlisle

• Saturday 3 July, Keswick to Liverpool

• Sunday 4 July, Welshpool to Cardiff

 

Then in August three stages of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift between Friday 30 July and Sunday 1 August in the following locations:

 

• Friday 30 July, Leeds to Manchester

• Saturday 31 July, Manchester to Sheffield

• Sunday 1 August, London

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What can I expect?

An incredible, colourful spectacle as the world’s largest annual sporting event comes to Britain for only the fifth time, a spectacle that mixes fast-paced action and world-class sport, with a free-to-attend family friendly atmosphere.

 

As well as both the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, each race will be preceded by the famous publicity caravan. For two hours, the Tour de France and its partners put on a show, handing out many gifts and surprising, delighting, and entertaining the fans waiting for the riders to pass by!

 

Do I need a ticket to watch?

No. The Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift are free-to-attend events, meaning that you can enjoy the colourful spectacle of the world’s top professional cyclists racing through your community free of charge.

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Why are we proud to be hosting the 2027 Grand Départs in Britain?

Past editions of the Tour de France Grand Départ in the UK have demonstrated significant economic impact. The 2014 Grand Départ in Yorkshire, for example, generated an estimated £131 million in economic benefits. We expect a similar, if not greater, impact in 2027, with increased tourism, hospitality revenue, and commercial partnerships driving financial returns.

 

For the worldwide television audience of more than 150 million, the picture-postcard effect of the coverage of the race helps promote Britain, and the countries, regions and towns and cities hosting the six stages, encouraging inbound tourism and promoting Britain as a place to visit, live, and to work.

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The whole country will also benefit from a wide-ranging social impact programme, called Joy, being delivered by British Cycling that will tackle inactivity and improve mental wellbeing, make Britain more productive and prosperous, and support communities to thrive.

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For more information and to express your interest in getting involved in Joy, please visit letourgb.com

 

What are the timings for the race?

The exact times of the race are still to be finalised and announced, but typically each stage will start around lunchtime (11am-2pm) and finish around 4-5pm, depending upon the length of the stage.

 

Closer to the race exact start and approximate finish times for each stage will be published and listed on each day’s detailed timetable that will provide estimated arrival timings along each route for both the race and the promotional publicity caravan that will precede every stage.

 

Will there be road closures?

The Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will require full road closures.

This means that there will be extensive road closures required along the length of each of the stages. Diversions and other temporary traffic management measures will be put in place to provide road users with alternative routes.

 

Full details of the closures, the roads affected, and the timings of closures, will be published on letourgb.com during the second half of 2026 and communicated to residents and businesses along the routes.

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Additionally, further road closures involving the surrounding areas of each start and finish location are required due to the size of the event and the infrastructure required. These closures will be finalised well in advance of the race taking place and published locally, including how long the roads will be closed for.

 

Why will roads be closed?

To safely deliver a world-class sporting event, we must secure the route and remove all parked vehicles. This protects the riders and spectators alike and will involve road closures and parking restrictions in affected areas.

 

Road closures are necessary to prepare the race route and to install equipment such as the finish gantry, protective barriers, deploy stewards and volunteer marshals along the route and to allow for some minor highway works to be carried out – all crucial for the race to take place. These closures facilitate the event and allow for millions of spectators to enjoy the race safely at the roadside.

 

The road closures will allow the publicity caravan, which entertains fans ahead of both races, and race to pass, and then for race infrastructure to be removed and spectators to disperse safely once the race has passed by.

 

Will it still be possible to walk or cycle on the route?

Once roads have closed to motor traffic it will generally still be possible for cyclists and pedestrians to use them until approximately 30 minutes before the publicity caravan arrives, but this guidance may change for operational reasons, so please follow the instructions of stewards and race staff on the day of the event.

 

Generally, footpaths and pavements will not be affected and pedestrians will be able to continue to use these, while along the routes, pedestrian access will be available through marked and stewarded crossing points.

 

For the safety of the public, some areas along the routes may have access restrictions, but these will be communicated ahead of the event. Please take extra care when navigating any crossing locations and ask for advice and assistance from the event stewards.

 

What arrangements will be made for blue light and critical services vehicles to access roads that are closed?

Planning for the events involves the Police, Fire & Rescue, NHS and Ambulance Services, and other critical services. Any situation will be dealt with quickly and safely and will be treated in the usual way with priority for emergency service access remaining, and the safety of residents and visitors dealt with as a priority.

 

If you live along one of the routes and need urgent help from the Emergency Services, please call 999 as usual.

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I live on the race route, what can I do to help?

First, it would be fantastic to see you out supporting the race and getting involved with community events – after all, how many sporting events of this stature and importance go past your front door?

 

Second, if you regularly park on the race route, please help us make the Grand Départ as safe as possible for the riders by following parking restrictions and moving your vehicle ahead of these coming into force.

 

There will also be an opportunity to get involved in the race within your local community as a volunteer and to play a hands-on role in delivering the world’s biggest free-to-watch sporting event. More details will be announced when the programme is launched in the spring of 2026, but you can register your interest now in hearing more on letourgb.com

 

Should you have anything of note relating to one of our stages that you wish to inform us of, please get in touch with us via enquiries@letourgb.com

 

Where should I park my vehicle?

Ahead of the race local authorities will be in touch with people who live on the race route with more information and alternative parking options.

 

Spectators will be encouraged to walk or cycle to their chosen viewing points, and closer to the event dedicated spectator information will be available with suggested travel, car & bicycle parking information.

 

Will there be an impact for local businesses and/or people working in the start or finish venues?

Due to the scale of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and large footfall of spectators, road closures will be necessary in all start and finish venues. Together with our local authority partners we will do our utmost to ensure that local businesses can continue trading as usual and capitalise on the interest in the race and the presence of spectators in their respective locations.

 

We, together with local authorities, will be in touch in due course to discuss arrangements in every location to help businesses plan in advance for the event, through information and drop-in sessions.

 

Where can I find out more about road closures and parking restrictions that may affect me?

Detailed planning work is underway and will continue to be developed in the coming months, with the support of the event’s local authority partners.

 

Residents impacted by the road closures and/or parking restrictions will be contacted directly in advance of the event with further information relevant to their location.

 

Full information about road closures and alternative arrangements will be published on the official website (letourgb.com) and on the websites of local authorities and key partners ahead of the event.

 

Where can I find more information about the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift route?

Details of all three stages and the full stage routes between Leeds to Manchester (Friday 30 August 2027), and Manchester to Sheffield (Saturday 31 July 2027), will be announced in the spring, alongside details of the spectacular London finale to the first ever visit of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to Great Britain when stage three visits the capital on Sunday 1 August.

 

Where can I find the detailed Tour de France stage routes?

Overview stage maps of all three stages can be found on the letourgb.com website, showing the main towns and cities that each leg will pass through, as well as the designated king of the mountains climbs.

 

Interactive stage maps for the Tour de France will be published later in 2026 alongside announcements by ASO about the whole route for the 2027 Tour de France.

 

How can I get involved in the Grand Départ?

Over the next year and a half there will be plenty of ways to get involved in the Grand Départ.

 

We will be recruiting more than 7,000 volunteers for the Grand Départ, inviting people across the UK to play a hands-on role in delivering the world’s biggest free-to-watch sporting event. Thousands of opportunities will be available across route operations, spectator support and community engagement, offering people of all ages the chance to be part of Tour history, with more details to be announced when the programme is launched in the spring of 2026.

 

We are very proud to be developing a number of exciting programmes to help bring the Joy of the Grand Départs to life for as many people as possible and will be launching these over the next 18 months - programmes will include a number of digital resources for schools, arts and culture initiatives and a community toolkit resource for use by everyone along the routes to show their support. Details and how to access these will be available from letourgb.com in advance of the races.

 

To keep up-to-date with all of the activity around the 2027 Grand Départ, please sign up to our newsletter at letourgb.com

 

I have a question that hasn’t been answered, who should I contact?

Planning for the Grand Départs is well underway, but with 18 months to go until the races, we appreciate that we may not have answers for every question now. We will be continually updating our website and social media channels with the latest news and information, so please do check back regularly for the latest.

 

If you do have a question about the Grand Départs that hasn’t been answered here, please get in touch with us via enquiries@letourgb.com