 | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | July |
| Region | France |
| Local name(s) | Tour de France Femmes (in French) |
| Nickname(s) | La Grande Boucle, Le Tour Femmes |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI Women's World Tour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Organiser | Amaury Sport Organization |
| Race director | Marion Rousse |
| Web site | www |
| History | |
| First edition | 24 July 2022[a] |
| Editions | 3 |
| First winner |  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) |
| Most wins | No Repeat winner |
| Most recent |  Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) |
The Tour de France Femmes (French pronunciation: [tuʁ də fʁɑ̃s fam]) is an annual women's cycle stage race around France. It is organised by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), which also runs the Tour de France. It is part of the UCI Women's World Tour.
Some teams and media have referred to the race as a 'Grand Tour', as it is one of the biggest events on the women's calendar.[1][2] However, the race does not meet the UCI definition of such an event.[3][4]
After a one off event in 1955, an equivalent race to the Tour de France for women was held under different names between 1984 and 2009. Over the years, these races struggled with financial difficulties, limited media coverage, sexism, and trademark issues with the organisers of the Tour de France. Following criticism by campaigners and the professional women's peloton, a one/two day race (La Course by Le Tour de France) was held between 2014 and 2021, and Tour de France Femmes staged its first edition in 2022.[5]
The race takes place in July after the men's tour, with the 2022-2024 editions of the race featuring eight stages.
All stages are timed to the finish; the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times.[6] The rider with the lowest cumulative finishing times is the leader of the race and wears the yellow jersey (maillot jaune).[6][7] While the general classification garners the most attention, there are other contests held within the Tour: the points classification for the sprinters, the mountains classification for the climbers, young rider classification for riders under the age of 23, and the team classification, based on the first three finishers from each team on each stage.[6] Achieving a stage win also provides prestige, often accomplished by a team's sprint specialist or a rider taking part in a breakaway.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Goldman, Tom (22 July 2022). "After more than 30 years, a multiday women's Tour de France is back". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
After the Tour de France femmes avec Zwift announced its record $250,000 purse, another women's grand tour event, the Giro d'Italia Donne, matched the Tour's prize money amount.
- ^ "All info on the 2022 Giro Donne, the first women's Grand Tour of the year for the Movistar Team | Movistar Team". Movistar Team. 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ "UCI CYCLING REGULATIONS PART 2 ROAD RACES" (PDF). Union Cycliste Internationale. 1 April 2022. p. 59. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
Elite women world circuit The duration of events ... is limited to 6 days unless an exemption is made by the UCI Management Committee
- ^ Frattini, Kirsten (16 October 2021). "A closer look reveals the inequity at Tour de France Femmes". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ "Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift D-100: The final preparations are underway" (PDF). Tour de France Femmes. 15 April 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
The 1st edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will kick off on Sunday, 24 July
- ^ a b c Gunter, Joel (16 July 2012). "The Tour de France: a guide to the basics". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ "Regulations of the race" (PDF). ASO/letour.fr. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2008.