Following recent
reports from the BBC stating that the Tour
de France will begin its Grand Départ in Yorkshire, Great Britain, in 2027, it
now appears that the
Tour de France Femmes will also make its way to British
soil that year.
According to the Yorkshire Post, the women’s Tour de France
is expected to start in Leeds in 2027, a city with a strong cycling heritage.
Since its inception in 2022, the
Tour de France Femmes has rapidly grown in
prestige, and the 2027 edition will mark the race’s sixth edition.
The current champion is
Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland, who
claimed victory over
Demi Vollering in 2024.
Leeds has played host to several high-profile cycling events
in the past such as in 2014, Leeds was the starting point for the men’s Tour de
France, with the opening stage finishing in Harrogate, where Marcel Kittel took
the win.
More recently, Leeds also served as the launch city for the men’s
UCI Road World Championship road race in 2019., as Mads Pedersen won in
typically horrendous British weather conditions.
This news follows the BBC's earlier rumours that the men’s
Tour de France will also begin in Great Britain in 2027, which seems to be
almost certain despite no official confirmation yet. A spokesperson commented, "We
make no secret of the fact that we are very keen to bring the Tour de France to
Great Britain to allow even more people to enjoy cycling and to give different
cities a boost.
“However, communication about this will go through the ASO.
We will continue to work hard to make it possible to bring the Tour to Great
Britain."
With both the men’s and women’s Tour de France set to return
to Britain, fans will be hoping that British cycling is in a stronger position
by then, following a challenging 2024 season.