Today, my normal race column will be replaced by an account of a future race, rather than a past one. Amstel Gold Race was the race intended; however, due to my crash and problems in Roubaix (my story on that is available to read here on Cyclingnews), I had to take some days off the bike, focusing on a lot of physio for a small knee problem. Therefore, there was no Amstel for me. This opened up the opportunity to attend the 2027 Tour de France Femmes presentation event in London last Monday.
The capital city is where the third stage of the 2027 edition will be held, a team time trial passing all of London's iconic landmarks. As well as the announcement of stage 3's TTT sightseeing tour, the full routes for the first two stages through Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield, including the elevation, distance, all the climbs, corners, and challenging Yorkshire roads, were revealed to the public.
A Grand Départ in Leeds means a 40-minute drive to the start of the 2027 Tour de France from my childhood home. Pretty easy work for my travel plan for the logistics team at Movistar, and hopefully an additional reason to help me with selection. The full stage 3 route is still to come; it will be released in October, along with the rest of the route - but I did get a sneak peek at stage 3's course, and it's going to be incredibly exciting.
It was really an honour for me to be there at the event. I've never been to a Grand Tour presentation before, so to get to go to my first (hopefully of many) Grand Tour presentation in London for a home Tour de France was really special. We spent time taking pictures on The Mall (the road leading to Buckingham Palace), where the TTT will be held, and the rest of the day was filled with various press conferences. To be part of a panel at these press conferences with so many leading and influential women in cycling and sport as a whole made it a really memorable day for me.
The women alongside me were Sally Munday (CEO, UK Sport), Zoe Stratford (2025 Rugby World Cup-winning captain of the Red Roses), Tracy Power (Managing Director, British Cycling), Kate Veronneau (Director of Women's Strategy, Zwift), Alice Barnes (former professional cyclist, now commentator), Flora Perkins (professional cyclist for Fenix-Premier Tech), and Marion Rousse (Race Director, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift).
Stratford's role in particular stood out to me. Listening to her speak about winning the 2025 rugby World Cup in front of a home crowd in London last year, what it did for her and for women’s rugby across Britain, and what the Tour de France Femmes can hopefully do for cycling in the UK when it comes here next year.
When the Tour de France came to Yorkshire in 2014 - my home county - I was one of the kids on the roadside watching, and I still remember exactly where I watched it from, 15 minutes by bike from my home, where my mum and dad still live. Every time I pass that spot on a training ride when I'm back home, I am still reminded of where I watched the Tour zoom by when it came to Yorkshire in that iconic year. So I guess that says it all to you how much the Tour coming to the UK impacted me as an 8-year-old girl watching the biggest bike race in the world on her home roads.
I'm always grateful to have joined the peloton at this time. It's something I say a lot as I really mean it, but when an opportunity like this comes around as well, it's even more mind-blowing knowing how lucky I am to be here. It's not a given, of course, that I'll be on the start line next year, but whether I am in the peloton or standing on the roadside supporting, I will be part of the amazing event that we have coming our way in some form, and I urge as many people as possible to do the same.
We all need to get behind this once-in-a-lifetime race and make it the most successful and most-watched sporting event in the UK. It's free to watch; therefore, why can't it be the most-watched sporting event in UK history? That is the aim, as mentioned at the event in London.
The Tour de France is the race everyone thinks of when they think of cycling. If we can show more about the team tactics in the overall GC, the real meaning of a stage win in the Tour and the emotions of the iconic yellow jersey, then I can't see why everyone won't fall in love with cycling. I think of the Tour de France like a Netflix TV show. In July, when the Tour's on, I know exactly what time each stage starts and ends every day. It's like a series where, when the day's stage ends, I'm already thinking about the next episode coming out tomorrow. And if it's a rest day for them, it's a bad day for me.
What I'm trying to say is that I want the 2027 Tour, both men’s and women’s, to lead to more people getting on bikes. I want more people to find the same love for cycling that I have every single day I'm on a bike or at a race, and I think this is the biggest and best platform to facilitate this wish. It doesn't matter the number, for me, I just hope more people can see the Tour, believe they can do it too and get out on bikes themselves. It doesn't matter whether you go on to join the WorldTour professional peloton or just become an expert at knowing a good brownie when you see one at a cafe on a weekend bike ride with your local ride group. Sport is an incredible thing. In my opinion, it's a way of teaching all the desirable qualities in life; commitment, communication skills, patience, determination, drive and joy: all in an almost perfect balance.
It seems simple, but of course it's an absolute blessing and a privilege to do sport, and especially cycling. It's not something everybody can do because there are many barriers, but I also hope that this is something that can get easier after the Tour. After all, growth is never linear but exponential.
For now, there is still a whole other Tour de France to tackle before even thinking about 2027's edition. I will manage my excitement by taking a look at the stage 1 and 2 routes the next time I'm at home. They aren't exactly my home training roads, as mentioned previously, I live about an hour away from Leeds. But they are the home roads of my best friend, Imogen Wolff (Visma-Lease a Bike), and we are already planning our recons for the two stages. Potentially a small bikepacking trip across three days (no camping involved, however, strictly hotels only), splitting the second stage into two might even be the best idea, as it is an absolute brute. 3,000 metres of elevation gain over 150km, which doesn’t sound as much as it is due to the nature of the roads. The roads in Yorkshire are rural, ever-changing and momentum-sucking, normally making for an unexpectedly low average speed.
I think stage 2 will significantly impact the GC. It's great to have the Tour in the UK, but it's amazing to have the Tour in Yorkshire, knowing it will be a stage for the GC riders and will impact the race overall.
Like I said, though, first there is still the 2026 Tour de France to come; this year's race starts in Switzerland, and for me, having Marlen Reusser on our team, who is Swiss, of course, makes it a big goal for the team. I would love, love, love to be there to support her. And even hopefully gain some experience thinking ahead, as always, to the 2027 Tour de France.
