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Cyclists complete Tour de France route to Liverpool

Phil Chapmanand
Lauren Hirst,North West
BBC Ten members of Braveheart Bicycle Club, who are wearing helmets and cycling clothing, are standing next to their bikes with one hand in the air as they pose for a photograph in Liverpool. BBC
Liverpool Braveheart Bicycle Club members completed part of the 2027 Tour de France route

With next year's Tour de France set to travel through parts of England, a cycling club from Liverpool has covered part of the route to experience the arduous journey for themselves.

Members of the Liverpool Braveheart Bicycle Club rode 224km (139 miles) from Keswick in Cumbria to Liverpool a year before the world's elite cyclists make the same journey.

"It's just amazing to do the rides that we know that the professionals are going to do and feel how hard it is," said club member Rob Wallace.

It will be England's third time to host the Tour de France's Grand Depart - after London in 2007 and Leeds seven years later.

In 2027, stage two of the gruelling race will begin in the heart of the Lake District National Park before skirting the Morecambe Bay coastline and heading to the Lancashire fells via Lancaster.

The route includes a further four climbs on the edge of Pennines before heading to Liverpool.

'Proud of Liverpool'

Hannah Fawcett, who founded the cycling club, said: "Every year we do a longest day ride and we thought wouldn't be good to do a stage at the Tour de France?"

This part of the race will finish in the shadow of the Liver Building, under the gaze of Bertie the Liver Bird watching over the city.

As a proud Liverpool tour guide, Caitlin Henry cannot wait to welcome people from around the world.

"It's a city I'm proud of and I want people to come here and I want people to experience it and love it as much as I do," she said.

Dave Beamish, owner of Ryde Bike Cafe & Workshop, said he hoped the tour would inspire an even bigger love of cycling in the city.

"There's a good few cycling clubs - leisure cycling is quite big in the city but for commuters not so much," he said.

"That's one thing that hopefully could be improved on and hopefully a knock-on effect of the Tour coming to Liverpool."

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