The Tour de France is expected to remain in Normandy for a second consecutive stage start in 2027, with another town in the Manche department set to host the departure of Stage 5 after the race resumes in Cherbourg.
According to reporting from Ouest-France, ASO are working towards a Stage 5 start on Wednesday 7 July from either central or southern Manche. The precise host town has not yet been selected, but the plan would allow the Tour to begin moving south towards the Pays de la Loire region after a full day of racing around the Cotentin peninsula.
The news adds another piece to the developing 2027 route ahead of the official presentation on Thursday 22 October 2026.
The first three stages have already been confirmed as part of the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ in Great Britain, beginning in Edinburgh on 2 July before stages from Keswick to Liverpool and Welshpool to Cardiff.
After that, the race is increasingly expected to spend its first days back in France in Normandy.
Riders expected to leave Wales on Sunday night
The logistics around the transition from Britain have also become clearer.
The original expectation was for Monday 5 July to combine the transfer from the United Kingdom with the Tour’s first rest day. That plan is now understood to have changed.
The riders are instead expected to leave Wales on Sunday evening, 4 July, shortly after completing Stage 3 into Cardiff. They would then fly directly to the Cotentin peninsula.
The wider Tour organisation, including team vehicles, race infrastructure and logistics, is expected to cross the Channel by ferry overnight from Sunday into Monday.
That would leave Monday as a proper rest day for the riders in Normandy rather than a day dominated by travel.
It also means the Tour entourage should already be established around Cherbourg before racing resumes on Tuesday.
Stage 4 expected to start and finish in Cherbourg
Stage 4 on Tuesday 6 July is expected to be a Cherbourg-to-Cherbourg loop contained entirely within the Cotentin peninsula.
The current plans point towards a route through northern Manche rather than a simple circuit close to the city.
Val de Saire and La Hague are both expected to feature, with significant stretches of coastline alongside roads further inland. The intention appears to be to spread the Tour’s presence across the wider Cotentin area rather than concentrating everything around Cherbourg itself.
One source involved in the planning described the proposed stage to Ouest-France as resembling a “real classic”.
That description makes sense for the terrain.
Cotentin is not mountainous, but the repeated changes in direction, exposed coastal roads and short climbs can make racing much harder than the elevation profile initially suggests. Wind could also become a significant factor if the stage spends as much time near the coast as currently expected.
La Glacerie finish set for a return
The most recognisable part of the planned Stage 4 route is the expected finish at La Glacerie.
The Tour last used the area in 2016, when Stage 2 ran from Saint-Lô to Cherbourg and finished on the climb towards La Glacerie.
Peter Sagan won that afternoon ahead of Julian Alaphilippe and Alejandro Valverde, taking the yellow jersey in the process.
The 2027 finish is expected to return to the Rouges-Terres climb, with around 3.1km at an average of 5.3%.
That would immediately make Stage 4 more significant than a routine first day back in France.
The gradient is not enough to make it a pure climbers’ finish, but it is hard enough to favour puncheurs and more explosive GC riders. If the peloton arrives together after a difficult day around Cotentin, the final climb should be capable of creating small but useful time gaps.
Another Manche town expected to host Stage 5
The new element is what happens the following morning.
ASO are now expected to choose another town in Manche to host the start of Stage 5 on Wednesday 7 July, rather than asking Cherbourg to stage another departure.
The preferred area is understood to be further south, either around central Manche or towards the southern part of the department.
That fits the likely direction of travel.
Once Stage 4 has completed its loop around northern Cotentin, Stage 5 needs to begin taking the Tour towards the Pays de la Loire. Starting further south would shorten that transition and give another part of Manche direct exposure to the race.
ASO route director Thierry Gouvenou is expected to return to the department as work continues on the exact location.
At this stage, no individual town has been confirmed.
Angers remains a strong possibility further south
Angers is increasingly being linked with the Tour’s next move after Normandy.
The Maine-et-Loire city is reportedly a strong candidate to host the race on either Wednesday 7 July or Thursday 8 July, although it remains unclear whether that would mean a Stage 5 finish or a role one day later.
That uncertainty is important.
If Angers hosts the finish of Stage 5, the choice of departure town in Manche will need to fit a viable southward route towards the Loire.
If Angers instead features on Stage 6, ASO have more freedom to place an intermediate finish between Normandy and the Loire region.
The exact shape of those stages is still being worked through.
Cherbourg will be more than a one-day return
What is becoming clearer is that the Tour’s visit to Normandy will be more substantial than a single stage finish.
The current sequence points towards:
- Sunday 4 July: Stage 3 finishes in Cardiff, followed by the riders’ flight to Normandy
- Monday 5 July: Rest day in the Cotentin peninsula
- Tuesday 6 July: Stage 4, Cherbourg to Cherbourg
- Wednesday 7 July: Stage 5 start from another town in Manche
That gives the region several days of Tour activity, even before the precise Stage 5 departure is known.
It also explains why local authorities are keen for the race to move beyond Cherbourg itself. The wider Cotentin area is contributing to bringing the Tour back, making a route through several communes and a second departure elsewhere in Manche a logical part of the agreement.
Barfleur and Bricquebec could feature during Stage 4
Two locations already attracting particular attention are Barfleur and Bricquebec-en-Cotentin.
Both have a connection to the wider programme of events planned in Normandy for 2027 to mark 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror.
Barfleur is associated with William’s crossing to England in 1066, while Bricquebec’s castle dates back to the Norman period.
Neither has yet been formally confirmed on the Tour route, but both fit the sort of itinerary currently being developed for the Cherbourg loop.
The coastal setting around Barfleur would also suit the television-led nature of a stage designed to showcase the Cotentin peninsula.
The 2027 Tour route remains provisional
None of the French stages discussed so far have been officially announced by ASO.
That distinction matters.
The British Grand Départ is confirmed, but the Normandy plans remain based on advanced local preparations and reporting rather than the final published Tour route.
ASO are expected to keep refining the course into October, with the complete route not due to be fixed until shortly before the presentation on 22 October.
Changes remain possible.
The broader sequence, however, is becoming increasingly convincing: three stages in Britain, a transfer to Normandy on Sunday night, a Monday rest day, a full Cotentin stage around Cherbourg and another Manche departure the following morning.
The Tour’s return to Britain is already one of the biggest features of the 2027 race, with questions still hanging over how the UK stages will be shown live and whether free-to-air coverage can be secured.
Now the first days after the race crosses the Channel are beginning to take shape as well.
Cherbourg looks set to receive the Tour first.
Another Normandy town should get its turn 24 hours later.
