The China Mail - Scottish Borders, Lake District to grace 2027 Tour de France

The first three stages of the 2027 Grand Boucle will take place in Britain, starting in Scotland before moving through England and into Wales.

The peloton's top sprinters will be given their chance to shine on the opening two stages from Edinburgh to Carlisle, in northwest England, and then from Keswick to Liverpool.

It will then be over to the punchers and overall contenders to test their legs on the third stage through Wales's hilly terrain.

Organisers ASO had already announced the first stage would begin in the Scottish capital but on Thursday at an event in Leeds, they presented the routes for the first three stages and revealed the women's Tour de France Femmes would start there in the English city.

"It's the Grand Depart that most resembles the Six Nations (rugby) tournament since we will do Scotland, England, Wales, and of course, France after that," Tour director Christian Prudhomme told AFP.

It will be the fifth time in six years that the Tour's Grand Depart is held outside of France after Copenhagen in 2022, Bilbao in 2023, Florence in 2024 and Barcelona later this year.

The opening stage on Friday July 2 "will likely suit the sprinters because, while the route is hilly, they are very long false flats," said Prudhomme.

"But these are magnificent landscapes, very bucolic, through the Scottish Borders."

- 'So beautiful' -

The landscape for the 223km stage two from Keswick to Liverpool will be equally spectacular.

"We took a helicopter tour with our British friends and when we saw the great beauty of the Lake District -- the largest English national park which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- we said that we had to find somewhere nearby to start a stage," added Prudhomme.

Despite five categorised climbs on this stage, Prudhomme still expects the sprinters to dominate before the punchers and overall contenders take over on stage three in Wales.

Another 223km slog from Welshpool to Cardiff will include seven steep climbs and 3,000-metres of elevation gain.

After a rest day on the Monday July 5 to then travel back to France, the peloton will set off again the following day for the fourth stage.

The Tour de France Femmes will begin in Leeds on Friday July 30 before the opening stage finishes in Manchester.

It will also be a largely flat stage suited to sprinters but the second stage from Manchester to Sheffield will favour the punchers and climbers.

"Hence, we can expect the leader's yellow jersey to change hands on the second day," Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse told AFP.

The third stage, whose details will be revealed in April, will be in London.

The race will then head to France and end on Saturday August 7 after nine stages.

It will be already the third time in the race's short history -- it was created in 2022 -- that the women's event starts outside of France.

"I will be jealous of the riders, I'd be lying if I said otherwise," said former British cycling great Lizzie Deignan, who in 2020 won the predecessor to the women's Tour, La Course by Le Tour de France, which was a one-day race.

"I'm on the other side and I will be able to appreciate the magic as a fan."

Z.Ma--ThChM