In the long march of female motorcyclists towards parity within their sport, there have been clear turning points, moments when the process has accelerated noticeably and picked up fresh and crucially lasting momentum.
It was in 1958 that the UCI incorporated the women’s world championships, against their will and miserably, leaving themselves at the mercy of organizers who may not want to be part of the process. The participation of women runners in the 1984 Olympics was immense, although again there was no initial recognition that women could or should be allowed to compete for the same medals as men. Others might point to the first women’s Tour of Flanders in 2004, or the founding of the Women’s Tour in the UK in 2014.
Sunday afternoon, when the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes departs from the Eiffel Tower for an 80km loop race on the Champs-Élysées, should be one of those spots, regardless of who wears the yellow jersey when the race is over. climb La Planche des Belles Filles in eastern France on July 31. The relaunch of the women’s Tour de France, by the organizers of the men’s Tour after a 33-year hiatus, has already had tangible effects.
New teams have appeared and established teams have acquired new sponsors. Established organizers have had to up their game. New stage races have appeared on the calendar, notably the Tour of Switzerland, the Tour of Scandinavia and the Ceratizit Challenge. The men’s Tour has always had a centrifugal effect, forcing change simply because of its presence and economic importance; even before it started, the Tour de France Femmes seemed to have the same effect.
“Historically, this is a man’s sport,” said multiple world champion Marianne Vos in an interview with L’Equipe newspaper on Friday. “In countries with a cycling tradition, men’s cycling was immense. Women’s cycling didn’t exist, and it wasn’t good or bad, it was just a fact. Women’s careers have taken time to develop and become professional.
“From what I have seen in the last 15 or 20 years, there has been a huge evolution. The Tour is the result of this process of change.”
Demi Vollering crosses the line to win La Course in 2021. Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images
The Tour de France Femmes has its context. Rather than being an entirely new event in its own right, it is the latest in a series of attempts dating back to 1955, when a six-day race around Normandy, won by Manxwoman Millie Robinson, was held to found a women’s stage race that builds on the foundations of the men’s Tour. The most sustained attempt came from 1984 to 1989, dominated by Italy’s Maria Canins and France’s Jeannie Longo, until Tour organizers felt their event was getting too big to manage and to abandon the side which they believed would arouse the least public protest. .
After that, several races were contested outside the aegis of the men’s Tour: the Tour of the EEC, the Tour Cycliste Féminin and the Grande Boucle Féminine, although when the latter closed, one of the last said winners, Emma Pooley. it was more of a Petite Boucle.
Given the level of social media-driven scrutiny, it’s hard to see the Amaury Sport Organization treating his relaunched career as casually as it did his last attempt. In retrospect, the 1980s race was limited because it was run alongside the men’s event; going forward, it will be fascinating to see how they build an identity for the relaunched race, how far and how fast the organizers venture into the Alps and Pyrenees, and if and how they build the length of the race. But a look at next week’s route underlines the immediate value of running the Women’s Tour de France separately from the men’s event.
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There is a marathon stage at 176.5km, while heavy climbing is postponed until what should be a final weekend culminating in Alsace over the Grand Ballon, Ballon d’Alsace and Le Markstein; before that, the route gets progressively hillier as the week progresses. The organizers have included finish circuits around three of their headquarters, and the fourth stage to Bar-sur-Aube features four gravel vineyard tracks that should be to the liking of Vos, the current world champion of cyclocross All of this points to a race that should develop its own identity as the sport builds more around it.
The final weekend points to an eventual duel between Giro d’Italia winner Annemiek van Vleuten and this season’s discovery Marta Cavalli. Behind them, the field is strong enough to promise intense battles for stage wins between the likes of Vos, a two-time Giro stage winner, Ride London winner Demi Vollering, fellow Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes, the current world champion Elisa Balsamo. , and Women’s Tour winner Elisa Longo-Borghini.