The 2027 Tour de France Femmes will make history when it concludes its opening three-stage Grand Départ with the first-ever team time trial in the race's history, organisers announced on Monday. The 18-kilometre showpiece through the streets of London will finish on The Mall, the ceremonial avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, bringing a landmark moment to one of cycling's most prestigious women's events.

The Grand Départ, which begins on July 30 in Leeds, a city in northern England, will take riders through two demanding days of racing before arriving in the capital. The opening stage of 85 kilometres runs from Leeds to Manchester, while the second stage heads from Manchester to Sheffield, taking in nearly 3,000 metres of climbing across the rugged Peak District — a national park known for its moorland and steep valleys. That stage includes the winding Snake Pass and the Côte de Jenkin Road, a fearsome one-kilometre climb in Sheffield that Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali famously attacked during the 2014 men's Tour de France, which also began in Leeds.

The 2027 edition will mark the first time both the men's and women's Tours have started in the same foreign country in the same year. The men's race will begin in Edinburgh, Scotland, with stages taking in the Lake District and Wales. Race Director Marion Rousse, speaking at a press conference near London Bridge, described the London finale as a natural fit for a format she called one of cycling's most spectacular disciplines.