The Tour of Tours 2027!

Everything you need to know about taking part and signing up

Spoiler alert! It isn’t the UK!

As you know, the 2027 Grand Départ will take place in Edinburgh but we’re planning to do things differently by not riding these stages. Le Loop 2027 will have an entirely different, all-France route…

For 2027 – one year only – we’ve created The Tour of Tours: a celebration of the very best stages in Tour history, focusing on the Tour de Force/Le Loop years of 2006, 2010 and 2012 onwards … and alongside our favourite stages from the last 20 years are a few gems from further back in history (notably 1974 and 1939!).

We’ve included all the big names; Alpe d’Huez, Mt Ventoux, the Tourmalet, the Madeleine and plenty more… and as a bonus excitement, cyclists with us in the Alps will be able to spectate two real Tour de France stages as we cross paths with the pros.

Read on to learn more …

Tour of Tours Q&A

25th June – 19th July 2027

As always, we’ll depart one week ahead of the pro race.

The full Route is described stage by stage, with profiles, here.

All Loop options are listed here.

There are a few reasons; firstly because the UK start has quite a few downsides (see below), secondly because we’ve been waiting a long time for an opportunity to make Nice happen, and thirdly because if you talk about something for long enough, one day you have to decide either to forget about it or to make it happen!… 

This idea has been around for years. Over beers at the bar, in event vans during long transfers, over cups of tea in winter … someone always says: “Wouldn’t it be brilliant if we could just pick the best bits of every Tour and stitch them together?”

Well, now it’s “one day” and we’re making it happen.

And Why 2027?

On paper, a UK Grand Départ might look like an easy win. In reality, it’s anything but:

  • The first three stages involve some pretty punishing transfers.
  • As we saw in Yorkshire, most riders can tackle UK stages independently over a few weekends. That reduces sign-ups … and that, in turn, impacts fundraising.

After years of mulling over the “Tour of Tours” idea, the timing finally feels right. 2027 will be a fantastic celebration of the charity and of Le Loop.

We’d love you to join us. The Tour of Tours awaits – vive Le Tour!

  • The same format you love
    Rest assured, everything you know and value about Le Loop will remain: the organisation, the Tour de France feel, the sunshine, the climbs, the rest days, the feed stops, transfers, camaraderie, and the brilliant event team you’ve come to know and trust.
  • A Nice Grand Départ
    The 2020 Tour (that we had to cancel due to Covid) was set to begin in Nice and promised to be our most popular Grand Départ ever – and for good reason. Nice is a superb cycling location, with easy access, fabulous roads, views to remember forever and that unmistakable holiday atmosphere. We all know what happened next … and those stages have been sorely missed ever since. Now, we finally get the chance to ride a Nice Grand Départ – and we hope it will be just as popular in 2027. 
  • Paris Finish
    Of course, we’ll still finish in Paris: nothing compares to the magic of the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Élysées for that unforgettable sense of achievement.
  • Iconic climbs
    Expect a roll call of bucket-list mountains. We’ll include stages that take in Alpe d’Huez, Mont Ventoux and the Tourmalet; three of the most iconic climbs in Tour de France history.
  • The very best stages
    With 13 Tours under our belts, we know what makes a great Tour. It’s not only about stunning scenery, challenging climbs, and picture-perfect French villages (though those matter a lot). It’s also about variety, a sense of journey, and the relief of a fast ‘easy’ stage arriving just when you need it. We’ve chosen our stages with all of this in mind.
  • Better hotels and fewer transfers
    We’re focusing on a higher concentration of our favourite hotels, fewer hotel changes, and minimising those long transfers wherever possible. That means fewer 5am alarms — and more time for the bar, for socialising, and for recovering each evening.

For anyone joining us for the Alps, Alps Lite, Mountains Week, Second Half or Grand Loops, you’ll also get the unique opportunity to see the real Tour de France. 
This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have a whole page that explains how it works here.

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