Full route is revealed for 2027 Grand Départ in Leeds

The city will make sporting history on July 30 next year when it hosts the start of stage one of the first ever visit to Britain by the world’s biggest women’s professional cycle race.

Broad-brush details of the Leeds route were announced earlier this year, with Headingley, Kirkstall, Bramley, Farnley and Drighlington among the communities told the event would be heading their way.

Now organisers have published an interactive map that gives people the chance to see, for the first time, exactly which streets will be in the thick of the action next summer.

The map, which can be found here, confirms that riders will set out from the Headrow and undertake a partial loop of the city centre on roads including Boar Lane, Infirmary Street and Westgate.

They will then pedal – via Woodhouse Lane, Hyde Park Corner and Otley Road – up into Headingley before travelling west on North Lane and Kirkstall Lane.

Key roads on the rest of the route include:

• Bridge Road at Kirkstall, which will take the riders across the River Aire;
• Broad Lane, Waterloo Lane, Lower Town Street and Henconner Lane in Bramley;
• Butt Lane between its junctions with Pudsey Road – near Farnley Reservoir – and Tong Road at Farnley;
• Whitehall Road, from its junction with Back Lane at New Farnley, to Drighlington.

From Drighlington, the riders will cross into Kirklees and then head over the Pennines into Manchester.

Leeds City Council will be working hard, alongside the organisers, to keep people fully updated about the planning for next July and how they might be affected on the day by the road closures and other traffic management measures needed for the safe and smooth operation of the event.

Activity due to take place shortly includes a letter-drop to properties on and near the route, as well as an online engagement session.

People can also receive Leeds-specific updates by joining a dedicated mailing list via the Visit Leeds website.

Following its visit to Leeds, the Grand Départ of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will run from Manchester to Sheffield on July 31 before finishing in London on August 1.

The event will make Leeds the first place outside mainland Europe to host the start of stage one of a Grand Départ for both the men’s Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Around 230,000 people packed into the city centre to cheer the riders on their way during the Tour de France’s Grand Départ in 2014, with another two million spectators lining the rest of the race’s Yorkshire route.

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said:

“The Grand Départ of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift promises to be a great occasion for Leeds and one that will raise our profile on the international sporting stage while also delivering a boost to the local economy.

“Today’s announcement of further route details is a reminder that the countdown to July 30 is well and truly on, with a huge amount of planning and preparation work already taking place.

“As part of that work, we will be doing our utmost to ensure residents and businesses have all the information they need about the arrangements for the day.

“People in Leeds are famed for the passionate support they show when the city hosts major sporting events and I’m sure this one will be no different. Roll on next July!”

For more information about the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Grand Départ, visit the letourgb.com website.

The Grand Départ of the men’s 2027 Tour de France is also being held in the UK and will run from July 2 to 4, with riders visiting cities such as Edinburgh, Carlisle, Liverpool and Cardiff.

Full route details for next year’s Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – including both Grand Départs – were announced at an official presentation today at the Palais des Congrès in Paris.

The UK’s role in 2027’s races was showcased during the presentation with a film featuring a bespoke poem by award-winning performance poet Sophia Thakur.

The Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift are organised by French company ASO, with delivery of next year’s Grand Départs being led by Grand Départ GB and British Cycling.

ENDS