Cycling’s most prestigious race, the Tour de France, will begin in 2027 by showcasing the Scottish Borders and England’s Lake District, organisers revealed on Thursday.

The first three stages of the 2027 Grand Boucle will take place in Britain, starting in Scotland before moving through England and into Wales.

The peloton’s top sprinters will be given their chance to shine on the opening two stages from Edinburgh to Carlisle in northwest England, and then from Keswick to Liverpool.

It will then be over to the punchers and overall contenders to test their legs on the third stage through Wales’s hilly terrain.

Organisers ASO had already announced the first stage would begin in the Scottish capital, but on Thursday at an event in Leeds they presented the routes for the first three stages and revealed that the women’s Tour de France Femmes would start in the English city.

“It’s the Grand Depart that most resembles the Six Nations rugby tournament since we will do Scotland, England, Wales, and of course France after that,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme told AFP.

It will be the fifth time in six years that the Tour’s Grand Depart is held outside of France, following Copenhagen in 2022, Bilbao in 2023, Florence in 2024 and Barcelona in 2026.

The opening stage on Friday July 2 is expected to suit the sprinters.

“While the route is hilly, they are very long false flats,” Prudhomme said.

“But these are magnificent landscapes, very bucolic, through the Scottish Borders.”

Lake District And Welsh Challenge

The landscape for the 223km second stage from Keswick to Liverpool will be equally spectacular.

“We took a helicopter tour with our British friends and when we saw the great beauty of the Lake District — the largest English national park which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site — we said that we had to find somewhere nearby to start a stage,” Prudhomme added.

Despite five categorised climbs on stage two, Prudhomme still expects the sprinters to dominate before the race becomes more selective.

The third stage, a 223km journey from Welshpool to Cardiff, will include seven steep climbs and around 3,000 metres of elevation gain, giving punchers and general classification contenders their first real test.

After a rest day on Monday July 5 to allow the peloton to travel back to France, racing will resume on the continent with stage four.

Tour de France Femmes Also Starts In Britain

The Tour de France Femmes will begin in Leeds on Friday July 30, with the opening stage finishing in Manchester.

That stage is expected to suit the sprinters, but the second stage from Manchester to Sheffield will favour punchers and climbers.

“Hence, we can expect the leader’s yellow jersey to change hands on the second day,” Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse told AFP.

The third stage, whose details will be revealed in April, will take place in London before the race heads to France.

The women’s Tour will conclude on Saturday August 7 after nine stages.

It will be the third time in the race’s short history — created in 2022 — that the women’s event starts outside of France.

Former British cycling great Lizzie Deignan admitted she would be watching with envy.

“I will be jealous of the riders, I’d be lying if I said otherwise,” said Deignan, winner of La Course by Le Tour de France in 2020.

“I’m on the other side now and I will be able to appreciate the magic as a fan.”

Tour de France 2027 British Stages And Maps

How To Watch The Tour de France 2026

The Tour de France will stream live throughout in Canada on FloBikes and the FloSports app. 

Stage highlights, replays and more breaking news, including recaps and rider interviews, will be on both platforms. 

In the United States, the Tour de France will be on the NBC network and will stream daily in the United States on Peacock. The entire race will be broadcast on NBC’s channels and USA Network. 

In February 2023, NBC Sports, Peacock and ASO announced a six-year deal that will keep NBC Sports as the home of the Tour de France in the United States through 2029.

Tour de France History And 2026 Storylines

The last two editions of the Tour de France were won by Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar, giving him four titles overall (2020 and 2021), while Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won the two years in between (2022, 2023).

Only nine riders have officially won the TDF three or more times, while Pogacar joins Great Britain’s Chris Froome on the list of four-time winners. Four other riders – Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain have done them one better, winning five times each. Indurain’s victories came consecutively from 1991 through 1995. 

The winner of the Tour de France 2026 will take home the coveted yellow jersey and €500,000 from a total prize purse of 2.3 million euros. 

When Does The Tour de France 2026 Start?

The Tour de France 2026 starts July 4 and will conclude July 26. 

The schedule includes 21 stages and two rest days.

Every day, the cyclists start together. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand, and the characteristics of each stage determine what type of rider should excel or how the race should finish. 

For example, some stages feature flat finishes, and that means the sprinters likely will be battling for those stage wins.