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The Tour de France will race through Caerphilly County Borough in 2027 after it was confirmed that Wales will host stage three of the world-famous cycling event.

Organisers have announced that the third stage of the men’s Tour de France will start in Welshpool, Powys, and finish in Cardiff on Sunday July 4, 2027. The route will take riders through some of Wales’s most challenging terrain, including climbs over the Rhigos and Caerphilly Mountain in the closing kilometres.

Caerphilly Council leader Cllr Jamie Pritchard said the announcement was a major opportunity for the county borough.

He said: “We are absolutely delighted to get the opportunity to welcome this global sporting event to the Caerphilly County Borough next summer. A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes for some time to secure this unique opportunity to showcase Caerphilly on the world stage.

“We have successfully hosted the Tour of Britain in the past and this has no doubt helped attract the Tour de France to our area. We look forward to welcoming elite competitors from across the globe, who will be racing through our towns and villages before tackling the iconic climb up Caerphilly Mountain.

“We are determined to ensure such a major sporting event will deliver significant economic and social benefits to the Caerphilly County Borough, so we will be acting very quickly to literally get the wheels in motion. We will be working closely with the organisers over the coming months to make this an event to remember, and I would encourage the whole community to join us in celebrating the countdown to this historic sporting occasion.”

The UK leg of the men’s Tour forms part of its Grand Départ and will begin in Edinburgh on Friday July 2, 2027, before heading to Carlisle, Keswick, Liverpool and Welshpool, with Cardiff hosting the final UK stage.

First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan said hosting the Tour was a significant moment for Wales.

She said: “Wales is proud to host a stage of the Tour de France Grand Départ for the first time in 2027, which will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase our stunning landscapes at one of the world’s biggest sporting events.”

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said the UK route reflected “the beauty and diversity of Britain’s terrain”, while British Cycling confirmed that more than 7,000 volunteers will be recruited to support the event.

The Tour de France first began staging parts of the race outside France in 1954, when the Grand Départ was held in Amsterdam to mark the event’s 50th anniversary. Since then, overseas starts have become more common as organisers look to promote the race internationally and showcase new locations.

It will not be the first time major professional cycling has passed through Caerphilly.

Caerphilly town held stage finishes of the Tour of Britain between 2011 and 2013, before council budget cuts forced the local authority to withdraw.

However, the race returned in 2023 when the town hosted the grand finale to the event, while last year cyclists passed through to the stage finish held in Cardiff.