Grand Départ 2027: All route details and profiles for the Tour de France start

The Tour de France 2027 will start in Great Britain for the third time. In 2007, the UK made its debut as part of the course - back then, the race started in the capital city of London, where the Olympic Games were to be held five years later. Fabian Cancellara won the prologue in London ahead of Andreas Klöden. The sprint stage to Canterbury the following day was won by Robbie McEwen In 2014, Leeds was the starting point of the race. Marcel Kittel used the opening stage to Harrogate for a sprint stage win. The fast man from Thuringia also won the third stage to London. Vincenzo Nibali won the demanding second stage of the day, ultimately taking the overall victory. Before the two major Tour starts across the English Channel, the Tour had already visited the British Isles for stages in 1974 (one stage with start and finish in Plymouth) and 1994 (two stages: Dover-Brighton; Portsmouth-Portsmouth).

At the Grand Départ 2027, the most important cycling race in the world will start further north than ever before, in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. It starts there on 2 July 2027. A total of three stages will take place on British soil. How things will continue from stage four onwards after the opening stage is traditionally only announced at the final route presentation. This usually takes place in October of the previous year.

The stages at a glance

Stage 1 | Friday, 2 July 2027 | Edinburgh - Carlisle | 184 km

From the hometown of British track legend Sir Chris Hoy, the route leads through the south of Scotland, crosses the ancient Hadrian's Wall border with England and ends after 184 kilometres in Carlisle. In 2027, sprinters can legitimately hope to wear the Tour's first yellow jersey. The stage is undulating and flat in the final section. There are a total of 2,000 metres of climbing to conquer. However, the finishing straight should be short. The only categorised climb, Melrose (2.2 kilometres with an average gradient of 6.7 per cent), is early on in the stage.

Stage 2 | Saturday, 3 July 2027 | Keswick - Liverpool | 223 km

Stage 2 begins in the particularly scenic Lakeside District. However, the route only becomes challenging in the second part. There are a total of five mountain classifications. Breakaways are likely to be keen to score points for the mountain jersey. The approach to the finish in Liverpool should offer sprinters with a good head for heights the chance to still be in contention for the stage win. There are a total of around 2,800 metres to climb. A descent leads to the last kilometre in the port city of Liverpool.

Stage 3 | Sunday 4 July 2027 | Welshpool - Cardiff | 223 km

The third section of the day, which leads completely through Wales, is a tough one. There are more than 3,000 metres of altitude to climb. The organisers are predicting a battle between contenders for overall victory and strong climbers but explosive racers. The battle for the day's victory is likely to start at the latest on the climb in Caerffill (two kilometres long with an average gradient of 8.1 per cent). The finish is in Cardiff, the birthplace of 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas.