Tour de France Femmes 2027 route - Stage-by-stage guide

• From Friday, July 30 to Saturday, August 7
• From Leeds to Puy de Dôme over 1,156km
• 9 stages with no rest days
• 1 team time trial of 18km in London, a first in race history
• 4 flat stages, 2 hilly stages, 2 mountain stages and 1 team time trial
• 2 summit finishes: La Loge des Gardes and Puy de Dôme
• Final 3 stages through the Massif Central
• Highest point: Col de la Croix Saint-Robert at 1,451 metres
• 17,665 metres of elevation gain in total

For the third time in its modern history, the Tour de France Femmes starts on foreign soil, getting underway with a short but tricky 86km opening stage from Leeds to Manchester.

Some might say the sprinters will be favourites for victory in Manchester, but first they will need to roll with it over the tricky terrain beforehand. 

Starting on the Headrow in central Leeds, the stage heads west across the Pennines towards Lancashire, with three categorised climbs en route. 

The first climb of the 2027 Tour is the Côte de Kirkheaton (1.7km at 7.5%), and it is followed by the toughest test of the day, the Côte de Meltham (3.2km at 8.4%).

The final climb of the day is the Côte de Delph (2.1km at 6.3%), with the top coming 24km from the finish. If there have been any distanced sprinters, there is time to return to the peloton ahead of a fast run-in to Manchester city centre, but it won’t be an easy chase. 

Ultimately, it’s a flat finish that will decide the winner of this punchy opening stage and the first wearer of the yellow jersey.

After the short opening stage, the race leaves Manchester and heads back to Yorkshire for a much tougher test. With 2,800m of elevation gain, seven categorised climbs and a route which race director Marion Rousse has compared to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, stage 2 promises a very different challenge which could see some early differences in the GC. 

Crossing the Pennines, the riders will tackle the Côte de Calton (1.6km at 6.3%), Winnats Pass (1.4km at 12.3%), Côte de Chunal (1.4km at 7.1%) and the Snake Pass (5.4km at 4.6%) in the opening 100km.

The route then heads towards Sheffield for a very punchy finale that centres around three steep climbs: The Côte de Bradfield (1km at 8.8%), Côte d'Oughtibridge (1.5km at 9.1%) and Côte de Jenkin Road (0.8km at 10.8%). 

From the top of Jenkin Road, there is just 6km remaining, with a fast downhill and run-in to the finish line in Sheffield.

For those who remember the 2014 Tour de France, the final three climbs also featured on the second stage won by Vincenzo Nibali with a late attack.

The team time trial event features for the first time in modern Tour history, and the inaugural event will take place against the backdrop of some of London's most recognisable landmarks. 

The 18km route takes in Downing Street, Westminster, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace, before a lavish finish on The Mall. 

It's set to be a very important stage for the GC contenders, but in an effort like this, team strength will prevail over the individual.

Back on French soil, stage 4 takes the riders 123km from the seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage to Calais, with the route passing through Montreuil-sur-Mer before reaching the Opal Coast.

There are five categorised climbs in total, contributing to 1,580m of elevation gain, and plenty of exposed coastal roads could see the wind come into play.

The main attraction of the stage, however, is likely to be the Côte du Cap Blanc-Nez (0.9km at 7.7%), which could split the race, with the top coming 12km from the finish. 

It's the same climb where Wout van Aert and Visma split the race apart in 2022 before the Belgian soloed to victory in yellow. 

Despite being classified as a flat stage, stage 5 is anything but, and could see a jam-packed day of racing. 

The stage is 161km in length, starting at Neufchâtel-en-Bray and featuring 1,940m of elevation gain and eight categorised climbs en route to Magnanville.

The first two climbs, the Côte d’Osmoy and Côte d’Eawy, come inside the opening 15km before the next 100km cover undulating terrain. 

The remaining six climbs take place inside the final 55km with the last, the Côte de Follainille (1.1km at 6%) crested 9.5km from the finish. 

Magnanville hosts the finish of the fifth stage, with the road rising towards the line, capping off what is set to be an attritional stage.

Stage 6 presents a must-not-miss opportunity for the sprinters, covering 138km and 820m of elevation gain from Orléans to Bourges. 

Without a single categorised climb on the menu, the stage is tailored to the sprinters, and the route gives them the opportunity to control things and hands no favours to any aspiring breakaway. 

The finish in Bourges takes place on a long rising false flat straight, with the final 200m averaging 2%.

After an opportunity for the sprinters, the race for the yellow jersey will heat up on stage 7 as the peloton heads 155km from Nevers towards the Massif Central for the first summit finish of the 2027 Tour atop La Loge des Gardes. 

The first 100km of the stage are predominantly flat, but the climbing ramps up inside the final 55km, bringing the total elevation gain to 2,200m.

Ahead of the main event, the Côte du Point du Jour (2.1km at 8.6%) will serve as a sharp appetiser and could force an early selection before the riders plunge their way towards the base of La Loge des Gardes. 

The climb is 6.7km with an average gradient of 7.1% and will ignite the fight for the yellow jersey, with the strongest climbers coming to the fore.

The 2027 Tour will not visit the Alps or Pyrenees, and instead will conclude with a double header in the Puy-de-Dôme department.

The penultimate stage offers little respite and begins with the Côte de la Stèle (5.4km at 5%), which will prove important in the breakaway formation. 

A series of climbs in the middle of the stage followed by descents and uncategorised kickers means that the riders will struggle to find their rhythm on this stage. 

The Côte de Charade (6km at 5.9%) is the final climb of the stage, and while it officially tops out with 16.5km to go, the road continues to rise for a few more kilometres before plunging to the finish in Clermont-Ferrand. 

This is the longest, final and queen stage of the 2027 Tour, featuring a first summit finish atop the Puy de Dôme.

There's plenty of climbing packed into the 170km stage long before the Puy de Dôme, with seven categorised climbs before the summit finish, accumulating to 3,840m of elevation gain.

The spiralling ascent, which will draw the 2027 Tour to a close, is 11.3km in length with an average gradient of 7.8%. 

The women's Tour previously featured the Puy de Dôme in its previous version back in 1986 and 1987, when Maria Canins was the winner on both occasions.

It's a punishing climb that serves as a fitting finale to crown the 2027 champion.