The 2027 Tour de France Femmes route takes the peloton from Leeds, England, to the summit of the Puy de Dôme in France's Massif Central, over nine days of racing between July 30 and August 7.
There is no rest day, and the race picks up the following day on French soil with a lightly hilly stage 4 to Calais, followed by a punchy stage 5 to Magnanville, where a series of short climbs in the finale will draw the yellow jersey favourites into battle.
Stage 6 into Bourges is a flat track for the sprinters, but stage 7 is anything but, signalling the first of two mountain summit finishes at La Loge des Gardes, which measures 6.7km at an average gradient of 7.1%.
Stage 8 is net downhill and features a descent to the line, but it's another tough stage through the rugged medium mountains of the Massif Central, where the favourites will be exposed against one another.
Finally, the race will come down to a showdown on the Puy de Dôme, the iconic climb of this volcanic region of central France. Measuring 11.3km on irregular gradients averaging 7.8%, it's a huge test that will decide the yellow jersey at the panoramic summit.
Preview the stage-by-stage details below.
2026 Tour de France Femmes - Stages, Locations and Distances
The opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes features a short, flat 86km route with three climbs, from Leeds to Manchester, to kick off the yellow-jersey competition.
The fifth day will be a more challenging day featuring eight short, punchy climbs on a 161km race from Neufchâtel-en-Bray to Magnaville. Tour organisers classify the stage as 'flat'.
Also classified as a flat stage on the sixth day of racing, the peloton will embark on a 138km from Orléans to Bourges. It is a day for pure sprinters, with no categorised climbs on this stage, but it will also offer some reprieve for the overall contenders before the final three days in the mountains.
Stage 7: Nevers – La Loge des Gardes, 155km
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Stage 7: Nevers – La Loge des Gardes, 155km
(Image credit: ASO)
The peloton will reach the northern foothills of the Massif Central on the seventh day of racing with a hilly 155km from Nevers to La Loge des Gardes. There are only two categorised ascents on tap, both at the very end, which will surely set the stage for the GC battle on the last two days of racing.
Categorised climbs:
Côte du Point du Jour, 2.1km at 8.6%
La Loge des Gardes, 6.7km at 7.1%
Stage 8: La Bourboule – Clermont-Ferrand, 151km
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Stage 8: La Bourboule – Clermont-Ferrand, 151km
(Image credit: ASO)
The Tour de France Femmes will visit Clermont-Ferrand for a third time with a 151km route from La Bourboule to Clermont-Ferrand. It is the first official mountain day of racing in the nine-day race, with six categorised climbs and 3,000m of elevation gain.
The final day of racing will begin in Clermont-Ferrand and take the peloton on a 170km GC battle over eight climbs and 3,800m of elevation gain to the summit of the Puy de Dôme, where the overall winner will be crowned.
Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
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