Tour de France 2027 Route Rumors: Where Will Yellow Be Won?

Great Britain gets the opening act in the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes, that much is confirmed.

Just where the two races go after that has kept cycling’s rumor mill spinning for months.

Bike fans worldwide will find out as ASO will unveil both routes this week on October 22 at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, a kind of cycling Oscar Night that reveals the climbs, time trials, and summit finishes that will shape the season’s most important stage races.

The presentation begins at 11 a.m. (CET), with a live stream available by pre-registering on the official Tour website (see details below).

Here’s what we already know: Six stages across the Scotland, England, and Wales will start both races starting with three stages apiece in a rare double-header grand départ.

The men start July 2 in Edinburgh before racing through England and Wales. The women roll out of Leeds July 30, cross the Pennines, and finish their British visit with a team time trial in London.

Filling in the blank spots on the map after that is a game that’s been fueling Reddit posts for months.

For the men, regional reporting and online investigation point toward an early time trial in the Loire Valley, a dip into the Alps in a dry-run of the Sallanches “super worlds” on tap next summer, and then a punishing showdown in the Pyrènèes.

For the women, the opening weekend already packs enough climbing and racing against the clock to shake up the standings before the peloton reaches France. After that, it’s a blank slate.

Here’s what organizers have confirmed, what the Tour de France trackers think might happen, and which questions remain unanswered ahead of reveal day.

How to follow the live course unveil

If you want to watch, it’s pretty easy.

Fans can watch live at letour.fr with a free Tour de France Club account. Broadcast partners include FloSports, Eurosport, TNT Sports, and RTVE, with availability depending on the country.

The 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes routes will be unveiled Thursday, October 22, at 11 a.m. Paris time, or 5 a.m. Eastern and 2 a.m. Pacific.

Follow @LeTour and @LeTourFemmes on social media, plus the official Tour app, for route maps, stage details, and updates. We’ll be tracking all the news and story lines as well on Velo.

Tour de France 2027

Race dates: Friday, 2 July to Sunday, 25 July
Stages: 21, three stages in the UK, the rest TBD
Edition: 114th
Defending champion: Tadej Pogačar
Record holders: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain, Tadej Pogačar (5 wins)

What we know: UK start with three stages

The Tour returns to Great Britain for the first time since 2014, and it should be one hell of a big show. Course details were revealed earlier this year.

Things light up with a bang with the first Scottish grand départ that gives the sprinters a shot at the first yellow jersey, with one categorized climb before the flat approach to Carlisle.

Day 2 dips to Liverpool in a stage that could reward the breakaway. Five categorized climbs complicate the second stage, although the flatter closing roads give durable sprinters another chance.

The party ends with an homage to Geraint Thomas, the 2018 winner and a stage in his home region of Wales. The favorites will have to pay attention with five climbs stacked up in the third stage.

Caerphilly’s 2km ascent at 8.1 percent comes about 12km from the finish, perhaps a launching pad for the GC faves to make a move.

From there, the peloton packs up and heads for France.

What are the rumors about the 2027 men’s Tour de France route?

Once the Tour crosses the Channel, the guessing game begins.

Cherbourg is tipped to host stage 4, with a loop around the Cotentin Peninsula potentially bringing coastal winds and a punchy finish into play.

Reports compiled by go-to Tour route kings VeloWire then point toward Brittany and the Loire Valley, where a possible week-one time trial could give Remco Evenepoel to take some early gains.

The mountains could arrive before the first week is out, with Grand Colombier linked to stage 9. From there, many expected a run into Annecy to Sallanches would offer a preview of terrain featuring in the 2027 world championships.

Earlier speculation about the returns of Col du Granon and Col de la Loze, the climbs where Tadej Pogačar famously cracked in 2022 and 2023, have fizzled a bit.

The latest reading of the ASO tea-leaves suggests the Pyrénées could play kingmaker in deciding yellow.

A possible second time trial around Toulouse before a rumored showdown is a summit finish on the Col du Portet, potentially reached via the Aubisque and Tourmalet.

What’s missing? Based on the rumors, it looks none of the iconic climbs are on the menu this year, so no return to Mont Ventoux or Alpe d’Huez appears to be in the cards.

And what about Montmartre? The now-iconic Paris finale has delivered two spicy races since its introduction.

Last week, Le Progrès reported that the climb would disappear from the 2027 route. Almost immediately, Le Parisien reported that it would stay.

We’ll find out soon enough when ASO unveils the course October 22.

Tour de France Femmes 2027

Race dates: Friday, 2 July–Sunday, 25 July
Edition: 7th
Stages: Nine stages, three in the UK, the rest TBD
Defending champion: Demi Vollering
Record holder: Vollering with two is the first repeat winner since 2022.

What we know: British start with three stages

Just a few weeks later, the Tour de France Femmes is back for its first touch on British tarmac.

Leeds hosted the men’s 2014 grand départ, and the Femmes opening stage crosses the Pennines before Manchester.

Stage 2 across the Peak District could split the GC early. With nearly 3,000m of climbing, the stage tackles Winnats Pass and Snake Pass before the run into Sheffield.

The three-day run ends in London with a team time trial that finishes on The Mall. Perhaps King Charles will make a royal appearance.

What are the rumors about the 2027 Tour de France Femmes route?

Unlike the men’s race, the women’s Tour has no fixed finishing city, leaving organizers plenty of room to move the final showdown around France.

It looks the race will see its first rest day in 2027 as officials say they’re keeping the race to nine stages.

How the peloton crosses the Channel could offer the first clue. A flight south would put the mountains within reach quickly, while a restart in northern France would leave more ground to cover before the serious climbing begins.

The Alps or the Pyrénées? That remains the big question, along with how much climbing organizers will pack into the closing stages.

London’s team time trial should open the first significant gaps, so the climbers like Pauline Férrand-Prévot and Paula Blasi will be hoping for plenty of vertical in back half of the race.

5 times a charm for GB Tour history

This will mark the fifth British excursion for the men’s race and the first for the women’s edition.

The first stage came on day three of the 1974 edition, the last won by Eddy Merckx. The caravan made it over to Plymouth for one stage and high-tailed back to France. The winner? Henk Poppe.

In 1994, the Tour featured two stages in Britain, and came back in 2007 with Fabian Cancellara taking yellow in a prologue in London.

In 2014, the Tour returned to Yorkshire at the height of Pax Britannia and Team Sky’s rule. Marcel Kittel won two of the sprint stages and eventual winner Vincenzo Nibali won in the hills.

Three more stages? Can a British rider finally win a Tour stage on British roads?