Tour de France Femmes will get more women cycling in London, Sadiq Khan’s walking and cycling tsar says

2027 Grand Depart Route Reveal, Buckingham Palace. Credit: Charlie Forgham-Bailey/SWpix.com

City Hall are hoping London’s historic hosting of the first ever Tour de France Femmes team time trial will see more women take to two wheels across the capital in future.

Central London will play home to an 18km circuit culminating in a finish line on the Mall in August 2027, with the world’s best female cyclists set to take part.

The three days of the Tour taking place in Britain – including a peloton from Leeds to Manchester and Manchester to Sheffield – are expected to be the most attended women’s sporting event ever staged in Britain.

Will Norman, the Mayor of London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said it could inspire more women to get on their bikes in the capital.

Last year, a report from the London Cycling Campaign revealed that less than a third of cycle journeys in London were made by women. In the Netherlands, the figure is over half.

2027 Grand Depart Route Reveal, Buckingham Palace. Credit: Charlie Forgham-Bailey/SWpix.com

“More women are cycling than ever before in London, but there still remains a gender imbalance,”Norman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

“This is an incredible opportunity to inspire women and girls to see cycling as a way to both get around and as a sport. Events like this are demonstrate-able [sic] in terms of increasing participation.”

The historic Grand Tour has twice before staged events in London – in 2007 and again in 2014.

However, Norman said London did not see a significant uptick in participation following those events because it simply was not possible to convince potential cyclists that it was safe enough to take to the roads.

He said: “You can have an event that gets people excited, but if you don’t have the facilities for after the event, people won’t take part.

“We’ve unveiled 430km of cycle lanes, and all the things that are needed. We now not only have the event, but the infrastructure capable of sustaining it. People can now literally go out the next day.”

Tour de France Femmes Grand Route. Credit: Charlie Forgham-Bailey/SWpix.com

More than 1.5 million cycle journeys are made in London every day, according to Transport for London (TfL) data, a 43 per cent increase on 2019.

But there are still concerns that trips are too concentrated in zone 1 and less popular in outer boroughs, despite a renewed City Hall focus on investing in the latter.

“Cycling has been a Central London thing, people commuting in,” Norman admitted.

“But that is changing. We are spending more money in outer London than central – there is the demand, but people will only cycle once they feel safe. We want people everywhere in London to get the benefits of cycling – whether it be mental health, financial, or fun.”

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 Grand Depart Route Reveal – Press Conference, Glaziers Hall. Credit: Charlie Forgham-Bailey/SWpix.com

London’s mayor Sir Sadiq added: “I’m proud that London will host this historic moment for women’s cycling. Londoners and visitors will be lining the streets to cheer on the world’s best riders as they race through our capital, taking in some of our best-known landmarks before a triumphant finish on the Mall.

“London is a cycling city, with 1.5 million bike trips a day last year and this global sporting event will inspire the next generation of women cyclists and help build a better London for everyone.”

Norman also said the event, which will take place on 1 August, will be a “massive boost” to the local economy and benefit London overall.

In 2015, former London mayor Boris Johnson told the London Assembly that he withdrew the city’s bid for the Grand Depart 2017 – set to cost £35 million – “so that TfL can focus investment on higher priority projects, including cycling infrastructure.”