Tour de France brings a free day of racing to Blackburn

Culture & Events Desk 2026-10-22 13:15 3 min read

Two cyclists racing at high speed with a motion blur background effect.

The Tour de France will pass through Blackburn with Darwen on Saturday 3 July 2027, giving residents and visitors a free chance to watch the race from public roads. Stage 2 runs from Keswick to Liverpool, covering 223km, and there is no booking required. Blackburn with Darwen Council says the route will cross the borough through Brownhill, Blackburn town centre, Tockholes and Belmont.

The route was confirmed when the 2027 Tour routes were revealed in Paris on Thursday 22 October 2026. For local spectators, the published road sequence offers several possible places to follow the passing race, from town centre landmarks to villages and countryside. Exact local timings and viewing arrangements have not yet been announced.

Where the race passes through Blackburn with Darwen

Riders enter the borough at Brownhill and travel along Whalley New Road towards Blackburn town centre. They pass Blackburn Cathedral and Wainwright Bridge, then turn shortly before Ewood Park. The route continues up Livesey Branch Road and Heys Lane towards Tockholes, before descending into Belmont.

In Belmont, riders turn onto Rivington Road for the climb to the King of the Mountains sprint at the Côte de Belmont. That makes the climb a named feature of the local route: it is where the race’s mountain classification contest will have a sprint. After the borough, Stage 2 continues towards Liverpool.

The route takes in different settings across the borough, so spectators can use the published sequence to identify the part of the route most relevant to them. The available details confirm the roads and landmarks, but do not specify where spectators may stand or how long the race will take to pass each location.

Tour de France brings a free day of racing to Blackburn

How the Blackburn stage fits into the Tour

The men’s Tour de France begins in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July 2027, with Stage 1 finishing in Carlisle. The following day, Stage 2 starts in Keswick and heads south to Liverpool on its 223km route, including the Blackburn with Darwen section. Stage 3 is scheduled for Sunday 4 July, from Welshpool to Cardiff.

The 2027 Grands Départs are notable for Britain hosting the starts of both the men’s Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in the same year, the first time a country outside France has done so, according to Blackburn with Darwen Council. The council says the route announcement marks a milestone ahead of the races.

What spectators can plan now

The event is free and open to the public, with no booking required. The confirmed local venue is the route on public roads through Blackburn with Darwen, including Brownhill, Whalley New Road, Blackburn town centre, Livesey Branch Road, Tockholes and Belmont. No local passing time, transport guidance, accessibility information or detailed viewing arrangements are available yet, so spectators should not assume a particular arrival time or provision.

Residents can explore the released interactive route maps on the Tour de France Grand Départs website. Blackburn with Darwen Council says it will share local updates on Facebook and Instagram as more event information becomes available.

Source: Blackburn with Darwen Council News

Context & actions About this article

Source check Source notes

The preview follows Blackburn with Darwen Council’s published route announcement and distinguishes confirmed event details from arrangements still to come.

Checks

Checked the event date and Stage 2 start and finish against the source text.
Compared the listed borough roads and landmarks with the published route description.
Kept the cost and booking details to the source’s statement that the event is free and req...
Left passing times, transport guidance and accessibility arrangements unspecified because...

Blackburn with Darwen Council News Check route announcement