The opening three stages of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift were revealed today, with London to host the first team trial in the history of the womens race. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Grand Dpart will begin on Friday 30 July in Leeds. The peloton will ride just over 85km to Manchester, in what promises to be a dynamic stage for the sprinters. The second stage will resume in Manchester before taking in much of the Peak District. It will include the famous Winnats Pass and Snake Pass, before ending in Sheffield after 154km and 3,000m of climbing. 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is the longest ever and visits Mont Ventoux On Sunday 1 August, London will host the first team time trial in the women's races history. The complete course will be revealed later this year, but the time trial will pass iconic landmarks. The historic stage will see the worlds best riders racing together against the clock in their seven-rider teams via an iconic central London circuit of approximately 18 kilometres, culminating in a spectacular finish on The Mall, one of Britains most iconic sporting backdrops, the race organisers said. Race director Marion Rousse said: The team time trial has always been one of the most exciting and spectacular formats in cycling, and we are very proud that the first one in the history of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will take place in London. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he is proud the city will host the event and that London is a cycling city, pointing to Transport for London data that revealed 1.5 million bicycle trips are made in the capital every day. [T]his global sporting event will inspire the next generation of women cyclists and help build a better London for everyone, said Khan. Rousse added that the three stages will be harder than they seem and a huge step forward for women's cycling. The last time the Grand Dpart came to Britain was 2014. Movistar Team rider Cat Ferguson said: I like to think if we had a women's race in 2014 how many more girls it could have inspired. The race organisers anticipate the Grand Dpart will be the most attended womens sporting event ever staged in Britain. This will be the first time the mens and womens races begin in the same country. The mens 2027 Tour de France Grand Dpart will start in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July. It will finish in Cardiff on Sunday 4 July. Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 Grand Dpart Stage 1: Leeds > Manchester Stage 1 will start in Leeds and cover 85.7km before a finish for the sprinters in Manchester. Tour de France Friday 30 July 2027 85.7km 1,390m elevation On Friday 30 July, the womens peloton will roll out from Headrow, central Leeds, just as the the mens peloton did when the Tour de France began in the UK in 2014. The route will cross into Kirklees and pass through Heckmondwike and Mirfield, then climb the Cte de Kirkheaton before reaching Huddersfield. The stage then crosses the Pennines and climbs the Cte de Meltham in the Peak District. The 85.7km stage will then circle the north of Manchester through Rochester before entering the city centre and finishing on Deansgate. Stage 2: Manchester > Sheffield Stage 2 will likely be the hardest we've ever seen in a Grand Dpart, according to Marion Rousse. Tour de France Saturday 31 July 2027 154.4km 3,000m elevation On stage 2, the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will continue from Manchester before heading through Derbyshire and the Peak District. It will head through Stockport, Marple and New Mills before tackling Winnats Pass and Snake Pass. After passing through the Peak District, the peloton will complete the 154.4km stage, with 3,000m of climbing, in Sheffield. Rousse said the stage will likely be the hardest we've ever seen in a Grand Dpart. There was concern over the inclusion of Snake Pass on stage 2, which is suffering from subsidence and is said to need millions of pounds spending to stabilise the road surface. But the organisers explained they are working with local partners to make sure the road is safe. Rousse said: We've used much more complicated roads in the past. Stage 3: London Sunday 1 August 2027 Approximately 18km Elevation gainTBA The final stage of the Grand Dpart will take place in London. It will see the riders take on the first team time trial in the race's history. The race organisers expect thousands of spectators to line the route outside locations such as the Houses of Parliament, London Eye and Tower Bridge. These landmarks suggest the stage will hug the River Thames. But the full route will be revealed later this year during the presentation of the Tour de France avec Zwift route in Paris. Read more The Tour de France is coming to Britain, but the costs of hosting should be spent elsewhere How much does the Tour de France cost? The price behind hosting the world's biggest annual sporting event

Tom Pidcock beaten into second by Team Ukyo's Tommaso Dati

Our 222nd Weekend Snapshot tracks down folks from our global community as they pedal around three scenic corners of Europe. Find shots from Trkiye, Poland, and Belgium, and use the quick form to share a photo from one of your recent rides here...The post Weekend Snapshot appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Bib shorts are one of the most important purchases we can make as bike riders. They provide essential support, vastly improve cushioning and comfort, and can prevent injury. In fact, they can be the difference between a fun and enjoyable ride and a nightmare of chafing and soreness. Not all bib shorts are created equal, though. You can be asked to pay anywhere from under 50 up to 400 for top-of-the-range models. And, let's not forget, we all need our bib shorts for different use cases some of us race, or ride ultra-endurance miles, while others need a trusty pair for their weekend coffee ride or daily commute. How much would you spend on your next pair of bib shorts? Let us know using our poll below. Read more: Best cycling shorts for men 2026: 18 pairs of bib shorts tried and tested

Sea Otter is bananas, with huge wheels, and a smattering of bonkers, and some actual bargains hidden amongst the madness, courtesy of China

If youre looking for a new drivetrain and arent fussed about having the latest and greatest electronic options on the market, you need to check out this deal on Shimano XT. Shimanos XT M8100 remains a benchmark for mountain bike groupsets, with the 1x12 drivetrain offering shifting that, until the end of last year, was on a par with anything the Japanese brand had made. This deal from Merlin Cycles bundles the crankset, bottom bracket, rear derailleur, cassette, chain and gear lever together for 249, which is less than half the original 632 list price. With a 61 per cent saving, the drivetrain looks perfect for those wanting to upgrade to a high-performance mechanical groupset, or for those wanting to stash it away to keep their bike running long into the future. Buy Shimano's XT M8100 drivetrain now from Merlin Cycles for 249 However you plan on using the drivetrain, you can rest assured, knowing it provides near-peak mechanical shifting. XT M8100 proved incredibly hard-wearing when we tested it. Ian Linton / Immediate Media We tested the drivetrain when it launched in 2021, giving it a 4.5-star rating, comparing the shifting to Shimanos flagship XTR model and praising its hard-wearing components and chain management. At the time of writing, there appear to be a lot of options left on the Merlin Cycles site, with Boost and Super Boost available in differing crank lengths. Buy Shimano's XT M8100 drivetrain now from Merlin Cycles for 249

Further details shared for UK Grand Dpart, including brutal Winnats Pass ascent on stage two

On the 22nd of April the peloton tackles the second of the Ardennes classics: La Flche Wallonne. The Belgian classic is marked by the multiple ascents of the famous Mur de Huy, the only one of the week's tryptic that features a summit finish. We preview the race ahead. The race was created in 1936...

A plan to close a substandard dual carriageway junction at Herbert Road in Bray in order to provide bus lanes on the hard shoulder of the N11 is included in the latest update for the wider project.The revised plan includes a major upgrade of the nearby Junction 7 Bray South. The closure and upgraded junction are included in a report on the Phase 2 Option Selection stage of the N11/M11 Bus Priority Interim Scheme, which has been published by the authorities involved and runs from Loughlinstown Roundabout to Junction 9, Glenview.There was heavy political pressure on all local politicians from groups in Bray to keep the minor junction at Herbert Road open, despite Bray having three major junctions for the relatively compact town. Tanaiste Simon Harris called the plan crazy, poorly thought out, simply insane and makes no sense. Officials at the time stated that the rationale is clear: the road is overcapacity at peak times, the junction is below safety standards, and there will still be three other junctions into the town within a 4 km distance of each other.IMAGE: Herbert Road and Junction 7 in Bray.Ina video posted to Instagram in July 2025, Tnaiste Harris said: Ive just come from a meeting with my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Daragh OBrien, and indeed the other TDs for Wicklow, as you know, were working on a cross-party basis. Ive no interest in playing politics on the Herbert Road. The Herbert Road in Bray needs to stay open; to shut it is simply insane. It makes no sense, and it would cause traffic chaos in Bray.Harris said that he and a cross-party contingent of Wicklow TDs met Minister for Transport DarraghOBrien and that they outlined to him the extraordinarily strong view of people of Bray, in Graystones, right across County Wicklow, as to why this road needs to stay open.At the time, the Tanaiste added: Im really pleased to say that Wicklow County Council has now agreed that they will appoint consultants, excuse me, contract for tender for that will close on July 25th, and those consultants will now be asked to identify an alternative route so that we can see the benefits of the bus corridor while not shutting the Herbert Road.The project details, including a video of the updated scheme, can be found at n11m11bpis.ie/publications.

10 years ago, Arnaud Dmare won Milano-Sanremo. Nowadays the first monument of the season is a very different race, one where the sprinters don't have realistic chances of succeeding, but instead it is the classics riders and climbers who have taken the spotlight. The French legend has praised Tadej...