A brutal Grand Depart for the 2027 Tour de France Femmes will culminate in a historic team time trial through the streets of London, organisers said on Monday.
The Tour de France and the women's version will both begin in Britain in 2027 – the first time both races have started in the same foreign country in the same year.
The British start promises to be a landmark moment for women's cycling, with the three-day Grand Depart featuring demanding terrain in the hills of northern England before a showpiece finale in the capital.
After two days of punishing climbing in the Peak District, the peloton will head south to London for an 18km team time trial that will conclude on The Mall, marking the first time the Tour de France Femmes has included the format.
"It's a huge honour to come to such a special capital city like London and we wanted to create something that means we could spend the whole day in the city," Race Director Marion Rousse said at a press conference near London Bridge.
"The United Kingdom has already shown its passion for the Tour, and these stages will once again showcase the energy of the crowds, the beauty of the landscapes and the growing importance of women's cycling on the world stage."
Route details of the first two stages from Leeds to Manchester and then Manchester to Sheffield were unveiled on Monday with the Grand Depart being compared to the memorable 2014 Tour de France that also began in Leeds and attracted massive crowds in Yorkshire and the Peak District.
A 'lumpy' opening stage of 85km on July 30 will be followed by a second stage taking in many ascents including the winding Snake Pass and featuring almost 3 000 metres of climbing.
Sheffield's Cote de Jenkin Road – a leg-burning one-kilometre climb in Sheffield famously attacked by Italy's Vincenzo Nibali in 2014 – will add to the stage two drama.
The detailed route of the London stage will be announced later this year.
Organisers anticipate the three days of the 2027 Grand Depart of the Tour de France Femmes will be the most attended women's sporting event ever staged in Britain.
"Everyone remembers 2014 but maybe this could be bigger and better," Lucy Jones, Project Director for Grand Depart GB, said. "We want to go out with a bang in London."
The 2027 men's Tour de France Grand Depart will begin in Edinburgh with a second stage in the Lake District to Liverpool and a third day around Wales.