Visma-Lease a Bike see plenty of opportunities for their leaders at the 2027 Tour de France, where they will likely be led by two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard, who crashed out of this year's edition, Wout van Aert, and potentially sprinter Matthew Brennan.
After the route was revealed on Thursday in Paris, Head of Racing Marc Reef commented on the 21 stages, where two time trials, six mountain stages, and a brutal queen stage in the Pyrenees are set to decide the next yellow jersey.
“At first glance, it looks like a fairly balanced route, with several flat sprint stages, explosive finales and tough mountain stages," said Reef.
"The two long, relatively flat time trials stand out in particular. It’s been a long time since we’ve had that in the Tour. Compared to last year, I count fewer summit finishes, and in my opinion, there could have been more. All in all, it’s an interesting route."
To Reef's point, there are only three summit finishes on the 2027 course: stage 9 to Grand Colombier, stage 11 to Les Saisies, and stage 18 to Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet.
On paper, it's a route more in favour of this year's runner-up Remco Evenepoel than Vingegaard, but it's defending champion Tadej Pogačar that both riders will be looking to knock off top spot in July.
Vingegaard broke his collarbone and abandoned the 2026 race on stage 15, and hasn't raced since; when he does return to action in 2027, it will all be about arriving at his main goal of the Tour back in top shape.
Reef noted how important the two time trials will be for GC, totalling 71 kilometres, but also how the days to Sallanches and up the Col du Portet will be crucial as Vingegaard looks to defeat Pogačar for the first time since 2023.
"[Stages 9 to 11 are] where the GC contenders will go head-to-head for the first time. These are stages that could suit us well. Racing on the World Championships course also adds an extra dimension to the Tour," he said.
“The last time we had this many [ITT kilometres] was in 2012. On top of that, most of the courses are relatively flat. Time trialling is a discipline we work on extensively and invest a lot in. We’re generally very strong in this area, and we have several specialists on the team. These races against the clock will play a major role in the general classification.
The Pyrenees duo of stages are "where the race will be decided”, according to Reef, on stages 18 and 19. With 5,400m of elevation gain on the former, it's not only the hardest stage of the 114th edition, but one of the most difficult in recent memory, and would be somewhere where a top-form Vingegaard should thrive.
"Some television viewers may find it harder to relate to the climbs on this year’s Tour de France route, but there are still some fantastic stages. The finishes atop the Grand Colombier and Col de Portet are certainly ones to look forward to. The final stage in Paris is another highlight, of course," said Reef.
"It looks like a route that should suit several of our riders very well. Our task now is to analyse the route thoroughly and use that analysis to develop a plan that gives us the best possible chance of success as a team. One thing is certain: this route offers us plenty of opportunities to achieve great things."
The Tour kicks off on July 2 in 2027, with a flat stage from Edinburgh in Scotland to Carlisle in England, where they could bring Brennan as a debutant, alongside his superstar lead-out man from the Vuelta, Van Aert – who will no doubt get his own opportunities on the plethora of punchy stages – and target the first yellow jersey with the Brit on home roads.
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