30 mountain passes ⛰️
5 summit finishes ?A group of women ? Donnons des elles au vélo J-1 ? will by cycling the exact same route, one day before the men’s professional peloton in the 2019 @LeTour
Find out more here ? https://t.co/iDDVTAZWc6 pic.twitter.com/6NtXzOAQqw
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) May 6, 2019
It is a question that keeps getting asked and one that still has no definitive answer. The biggest event in world cycling still has no official women’s event and there really are no excuses left as to why.
Many non-cycling fans do not even realize there is no women’s Tour de France and are surprised when they find out. But the fact remains that we entered 2020 with no plans for a female equivalent of cycling’s biggest Grand Tour.
In fact, for the past few years, a group of amateur women riders have been riding the entire route a day ahead of the official men’s race. And last year, they were joined by five riders from the ŠKODA DSI Cycling Academy for part of the route.
These women are determined to convince organizers to change their minds about reviving a women’s Tour de France. In 2020, as Egan Bernal sets off as the favorite in the cycling betting to defend his men’s crown at +225.00, yet another group of women from the Donnons des Elles au Vélo Jour project will be riding every kilometer a day ahead of him.
Troubled history for women’s Tour
A Tour de France for Women was held from 1984 until 1989 when the name and format were changed. In 1998, the organizers of the newly-christened Tour Cycliste Féminin were actually banned from using the world “Tour” in their event title for several years as it infringed the copyright of the men’s race. This exclusion created organizational difficulties, causing the women’s event to go through various name changes before being downgraded by the UCI and eventually disbanded altogether.
One thing is for sure: We need a return of a women’s race and we need it ASAP. And it needs to fall under the banner of the Tour de France branding. The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup football event proved that there is a growing demand among fans for top-level women’s sport and that people are more likely to engage when they are familiar with the name and format of the event. Calling it anything other than the Women’s Tour de France would make little sense in terms of attracting sponsors, spectators and TV viewers.
Giro d’Italia Femminile shows the way
The only Grand Tour that still has a women’s version is the Giro d’Italia. The Giro d’Italia Femminile (nicknamed the Giro Rosa) has been running for 30 years and is part of the UCI Women’s Cycling WorldTour. In 2019, Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten retained her title ahead of 2017 winner Anna van der Breggen. The UCI tour is currently being restructured to offer a better working environment and improved wages to professional women cyclists.
Attack from the bottom Cancano climb. Normally I enjoy this climb, today was 11 km all out sufferfest. Thanks for cheering! So many times I heard my name, was awesome. ?Update: https://t.co/7JYQT6EyZY Imponerende Van Vleuten slaat dubbelslag in Giro Rosa https://t.co/syKZvUt5SH
— Annemiek van Vleuten (@AvVleuten) July 9, 2019
If Italy can successfully host a women’s race, there is no reason France and Spain cannot follow suit. And it would be an incredible treat for cycling fans to be able to watch six Grand Tour races every year.
What’s more, these events would encourage more women to take part in cycling and help to boost the overall level and profile of the sport. It really is time for organizers to stop making excuses and put in the necessary work to make a women’s Tour de France happen.
Amaury Sport Organisation has repeatedly demonstrated that they are not interested in organizing a Women’s TdF. I would like to see teams, sponsors and the UCI focus efforts for an alternative somewhere other than France. What is the latest news on the joint efforts of Denmark, Sweden and Norway to promote the “Battle of North” beginning in 2021 (as announced in 2019)?