Two counter-clocks and a terrifying stage in the Pyrenees, the keys to the 2027 Tour de France

Tour de France organizers announced their 2027 tour of Paris on Thursday. The race willdepart from Scotland on July 2  and end on the 25th in the Champs-Elysées of the French capital. The kilometres against the clock will again play a leading role and a terrifying stage in the Pyrenees will be the final judge.

Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team) wants to make history with his sixth win on next year's Tour. The race already has a tour, unlike usual, as the fight against the clock will again be key and thelast weekend  will be for the sprinters, as the last mountainous stage will be Friday 23 July.

On a route with very tough mountain stages, two of them exceed 4,000 meters of level. Favorites will have to first surpassthe Alps\ u00A0 and then the Pyrenees , but until the ninth stage no stage will end in high.

The cyclists will depart from Scotland on 2 July and will deliver three from the UK, highlighting the last to finish in Cardiff, Wales, as it is a classic day with seven climbs, including a tough Caerphilly 13 kilometres from the finish line.

Two days later, the Grand Colombier \ u00A0(17.4 kilometers with average slopes of 7.1%) will be the first major stage to finish at the Grand Colombier.

Afterthe day of rest , another intense day will have six climbs , preceded by another, the Colombiere, the Col de la Croix Fry, the Col de la Forclaz de Queige, the Col du Pre and the Bisanne (more than 12 kilometres of ascent with 8.3% slopes), before facing the last four kilometers.

On July 17, the Tour  will liveaday with a level of 4,300 meters . Although it does not finish high, it has the Croix Neuve (3 kilometers to 10.1%) shortly before the goal of the Century.

And after the second day of rest , the decisive week will come, which will begin with the second counterclockwork 33 kilometers  and is more technical because of a slight rise.

From there, and after a day of recovery, the Pyrenees will take the lead for two days in a row. The first stage, the eighteenth stage, will be the queen stage of this edition. Cyclists will have to exceed thelevel of more than 5,000 meters s. Soulor, Tourmalet (from the Luz-Saint-Sauveur side), Hourquette d'Ancia and Col du Portet, the highest summit of this edition (2.215 m).

The penultimate stage, a mountainous final stage, will not end uphill, but it is the most attractive for Basque fans as it runs through the Basque Country. Theplatoon will have to overcome the ports of Burdinkurutxeta, Bagargieta, Soudet and Marie Blanque, this last climb 20 kilometers from the finish line.

On paper, the tour benefits Belgian Remco Evenepoel (second last year), while the Danish Jonas Vingegaard (winner of 2022 and 2023) is damaged. The young Frenchman Paul Seixas, who was fourth in July when he was only 19, will also have options.

"We don't take the route against anyone, but we do for a type of cyclist," explained Christian Prudhomme , director of the Tour. In this regard, Prudhomme stressed that the Belgian champion against the clock could be a real rival to Pogacar.

However, the organizers have acknowledged that the 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026 winner "adapts to all routes" and will again be the great favorite in full form. "Until the Grand Colombier stage, the differences in the overall ranking will be small," said Thierry Gouvenou, head of the route .