Council accepts grant for road repairs before Tour de France Femmes crosses crumbling Snake Pass to Sheffield
Derbyshire County Council has accepted a £2.4 million grant from the East Midlands Combined County Authority to repair roads in preparation for the Tour de France Femmes cycling event. The funding arrives as the proposed route, particularly the A57 Snake Pass, contends with significant structural issues including four separate landslips and temporary traffic systems that have reduced it to single-lane operation in places.
The women's cycling championship Stage 2 will traverse 154 kilometres from Manchester to Sheffield through the Peak District in July 2027, featuring substantial elevation gains. Council leadership framed the investment as an opportunity for regional tourism growth and increased cycling participation, whilst emphasising that the event will require extensive road closures and coordination with residents and businesses throughout the planning period.
In short
- Derbyshire County Council secures £2.4m grant to repair roads before hosting Tour de France Femmes Stage 2 (Manchester–Sheffield) in July 2027
- The A57 Snake Pass route faces infrastructure challenges including multiple landslips and lane restrictions, now to be addressed ahead of the event
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The A57 contains four active landslips rendering it genuinely unsafe, requiring urgent repair that this grant now enables, whilst the event simultaneously creates regional benefits in tourism and cycling participation. Rather than viewing event preparation and infrastructure necessity as opposed, accepting the grant pragmatically addresses an existing critical problem using available funding, delivering safety improvements and economic stimulus through one coordinated investment.
The case against
Financing infrastructure repairs primarily through event-driven grants risks prioritising spectacle over equitable resource allocation, particularly when similar road safety hazards elsewhere may lack comparable funding or attention. The extensive disruption and closure requirements impose significant costs on residents and businesses to accommodate a one-time sporting event, raising legitimate questions about whether this represents sound stewardship of limited public money or a tendency to justify necessary spending through high-profile occasions.
Explained simply
The Tour de France Femmes is a major international women’s cycling race, with stages held on roads in different parts of the host country. In 2027, one stage is planned to run from Manchester to Sheffield through the Peak District, including the A57 Snake Pass, a route across the hills between Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.
Derbyshire County Council is responsible for maintaining many roads in the county, while the East Midlands Combined County Authority funds projects across the region. Snake Pass has suffered landslips and traffic restrictions, making road repairs relevant both to the race route and to people who use the road.
Hosting a race stage can bring visitors and attention to the area, but it also requires road closures and planning with residents and businesses. The repairs and event planning therefore involve balancing transport needs, road conditions and the demands of a large sporting event.