The three-week men race gets under way with a stage from Edinburgh to Carlisle on 2 July. It is followed by a route between Keswick and Liverpool before Wales hosts a third and final grand depart stage from Welshpool to Cardiff on 4 July.

The women event starts on 30 July with a race from Leeds to Manchester, before moving back across the Pennines to Yorkshire with a finish in Sheffield. A testing team time trial around the streets of central London will complete the opening section of that nine-stage race.

The collaboration is a first for both races in a Super Grand Depart. Men race director Christian Prudhomme said that just a few weeks apart, the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will each take their respective pelotons on a journey through the roads of the United Kingdom.

Prudhomme highlighted the symbolic nature of hosting both pelotons in Great Britain, noting the historic significance of starting at the foot of Edinburgh Castle and concluding the opening phase with a London time trial on 1 August.

Stage one of the men race covers a distance of 184 kilometres heading south from Edinburgh across the border into Carlisle. The route features a demanding 2.2-kilometre climb up the Cote de Melrose located near the birthplace of young Ineos contender Oscar Onley.

Stage two presents a grueling 223-kilometre journey starting from Keswick within the Lake District and finishing in Liverpool. Riders will face five categorised climbs and a cumulative total of 2,800 metres of ascending over the course of the day.

The final British stage of the men competition takes place on 4 July, running 223 kilometres from Welshpool in northern Wales to the capital city of Cardiff. The route includes eight categorised hills and approximately 3,000 metres of climbing.

The opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes begins on Friday, 30 July, covering 85.7 kilometres from Leeds to Manchester. The route incorporates three notable climbs, including the Cote de Meltham which stretches 3.2 kilometres at an average gradient of 8.4 percent.

Stage two of the women race takes the peloton 154.4 kilometres from Manchester to Sheffield. Competitors will tackle seven climbs during the day, featuring the punishing Winnats Pass in the Peak District which measures 1.4 kilometres at an average gradient of 12.3 percent.

The opening section of the women race concludes with an 18-kilometre team time trial around central London. The route begins on Whitehall, passes through Trafalgar Square and Tower Bridge, and finishes in front of crowds along The Mall.

Paul Bush, managing director of the Grand Depart GB 2027 project, addressed the auditorium during the presentation to describe the occasion as an extraordinary and historic moment for cycling fans across Scotland, England, and Wales.

Bush specifically praised the women team time trial as a memorable addition that will pass through the heart of London and finish on The Mall for the first time in the modern history of the competition.

UK Government sports minister Stephanie Peacock also welcomed the announcement, confirming that an investment of 32 million pounds will fund the races alongside a lasting legacy program designed to benefit the public long after the final rider crosses the finish line.

Previous visits by the Tour de France to the United Kingdom include stages held in London during 1974, 1994, and 2007, followed by the highly successful Yorkshire Grand Depart in 2014 which drew massive roadside crowds.

When the race last visited Yorkshire in 2014, more than 2.5 million spectators lined the route to watch the opening stages of the men competition. That event triggered a significant surge in national cycling participation and inspired the creation of the Tour de Yorkshire.

Although the Tour de Yorkshire eventually left the professional calendar after struggling to recover from the disruptions of the Covid pandemic, British cycling has continued to maintain a strong presence at the elite international level.

Interest in the sport had previously fluctuated as legendary sprinter Mark Cavendish and four-time yellow jersey winner Chris Froome gradually stepped away from their dominant positions at the peak of international cycling.

However, the 2026 season witnessed a record participation of 49 British riders competing across both the men and women World Tour pelotons, supported by notable victories including Matt Brennan securing five stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana in September.

Organisers anticipate that the 2027 Super Grand Depart will generate immense excitement among supporters and further cement the United Kingdom status as a major destination for world-class international cycling events over the coming years.