While there has been widespread excitement at the prospect of the Tour de France returning to the UK in 2027, Derbyshire County Council has expressed caution about the prospect of the iconic climb of Snake Pass being included, amid ongoing works and repairs to landslip damage.
While the routes of the Tour de France Femmes have not been confirmed yet, last week’s announcement included mention of Snake Pass featuring on day two of the women’s race as part of a stage from Manchester to Sheffield.
However, with some in the local press expressing concern about the famous road’s ongoing landslip issues, which have required extensive and expensive repairs in recent years, Derbyshire County Council has admitted that it is unable to guarantee works will be completed in time.
Snake Pass landslip (credit: Google Maps)
The local authority’s highways and transport chief Charlotte Hill this afternoon told road.cc that if the stage is able to use Snake Pass then “we will of course make sure that the pass is safe for the Tour de France Femmes cyclists”.
However, she warned, it is currently impossible to guarantee that landslip works will be completed by next summer and the council is to imminently commission a geotechnical survey to one area of concern, the results of which “will inform what the solution is for that area”.
“At the moment it is not possible to say if the work on these two landslips will be completed by July 2027,” she conceded.Â
2014 Tour de France stage one, Leeds to Harrogate (credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)
“We are delighted that the Tour de France Femmes is to use Derbyshire as part of their route in July 2027. Although the full details of the route are yet to be agreed, we understand that there is a wish to use Snake Pass, as one of Derbyshire’s iconic roads.
“We do currently have a couple of sections on the pass under traffic lights, where we have had landslips. We are about to commission a geotechnical survey of the landslip at Doctors Gate. The results of that survey will inform what the solution is for that area.”
While there has been excitement at the prospect of the Tour de France Femmes ascending Derbyshire’s highest road, summiting the six-kilometre-long climb that averages close to six per cent, cycling fans probably do not need to worry too much about implications for the route if it cannot be included, the Peak District far from short of race-splitting hills, the stage to Sheffield hopefully repeating the drama of when the men’s race visited the Steel City on stage two of the 2014 edition.
Snake Pass snow (Faction Chamois Cream/Twitter) (credit: road.cc)
The 23-mile stretch of the A57, named Snake Pass, is a key route linking Manchester and Sheffield that is used by more than 30,000 vehicles each week. Its steady gradients, flowing bends and scenic views make it popular with cyclists too, however the fast-flowing, heavy traffic means plenty of local riders make an effort to avoid it.
Derbyshire County Council says the landslips are nothing new, with road closures dating back at least 90 years, but repeat incidents in recent years have seen multiple closures and spells of roadworks for repairs.
Snake Pass (CC BY-SA 2.0 Andrew Loughran/Geograph) (credit: road.cc)
Last winter, amid four separate landslips and more temporary closures, there were even headlines suggesting the road could close to motor traffic for good, the council repeatedly stating that it simply does not have the money for major repairs and urging the Department for Transport [DfT] to set up a “landslips fund” to keep the road open moving forward.
While the DfT maintained it is “not responsible for Snake Pass” and does not hold contingency funding for landslip repairs, a £7.6 million pot for major safety improvements along the route was announced in July, although that investment was mainly reported as for proposals such as average speed cameras, improved junctions, crossing and barriers.
During spells when the road has been closed for works or investigation, local cyclists have taken to enjoying rare traffic-free time on the climb, sometimes in protest at the local authority’s warnings for those on bikes not to access the route.
>Â Snake Pass protest: Cyclists reclaim car-free route
Back in 2022, after one landslip closure, the scenic Peak District climb was described as a cyclists’ paradise due to its empty roads (that remained safely accessible by bike). However, Derbyshire County Council soon announced that cyclists and walkers would also be banned from the route, a decision branded an “anti-cyclist decision dressed up cheaply as Health and Safety”.
Snake Pass Trespass (Image credit: Harry Gray/Twitter) (credit: road.cc)
In response, an estimated 60-strong group of cyclists took part in a Snake Pass protest, dubbed the Snake Trespass, by riding up the climb. During future closures, cyclists have since been able to ride up to the road closure (and back down again), even if the council has said it would rather cyclists avoided the route during closures.
Last week’s Tour de France announcement confirmed that the Grand Départ of the women’s race would include an opening stage from Leeds to Manchester, this stage from Manchester to Sheffield, and a stage in London.
2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Grand Depart Route (credit: ASO)
The organisers have not commented on Derbyshire County Council’s comments about works on Snake Pass potentially not being finished in time for next July.
2027 Tour de France Hommes Grand Depart Route (credit: ASO)
The men’s race will begin in Edinburgh, stage one expected to be a day for the sprinters that finishes in Carlisle. Day two will head south to Liverpool via 223km and plenty of Lancashire climbing, before stage three is another 223km brute, this time with more than 3,000m of Welsh climbing and finishing in Cardiff. The full route details for the women’s race are expected to be announced later this year, Snake Pass’s inclusion or exclusion something to keep an eye out for…