The Tour de France is investing in Women’s cycling.
On the last stage of the Tour in Paris, cycling’s elite women riders will be on the Champs Elysee. The women will benefit from the huge TV audiences of the traditional men’s Tour, seen in 190 countries.
This new event will take place a few hours before the men arrive in Paris and will be broadcast live on French television and Eurosport International. There will be a circuit race in the center of Paris before the finish on the Champs Elysee. They will do 13 laps of the Champs Elysee (90km) and instead of podium girls there will be podium boys! There are expected to be about 100 participants. And rather than the Champs Elysee lined with male gendarmes, instead there will be police women from the Paris Police Prefecture as well as an all female jury. The grand prize is €22,500, the same as the men receive.
© A.S.O
Marianne Vos, Olympic and Triple World Champion in road racing: ”I am delighted that A.S.O. has decided to organise a women’s race this year, to accompany the Tour de France. I am very excited to be taking part, especially with the majestic finish on the Champs-Elysées. The launch of this race is a revolutionary development in our sport. The Tour is the pinnacle of professional cycling, and I have no doubt that La Course by Le Tour identifies a new era for women’s cycling and will significantly contribute to the growth of road racing.”
Chrissie Wellington, four-time Triathlon World Champion and LTE co-founder: “The Le Tour Entier group (LTE), founded by myself, Marianne Vos, Emma Pooley and Kathryn Bertine are passionate about helping to grow women’s cycling and women’s sport and we have long been convinced that one of the best ways of achieving our mission is to work with the Tour de France, the beacon of world cycling. It was wonderful for LTE to have the opportunity to work together with A.S.O to realise our shared passion to continue to grow the sport for the benefit of all. La Course by Le Tour marks a giant step forward for women’s cycling, and one that the athletes, teams and the public around the world will undoubtedly support.”
