A Women’s Tour de France

THANKS FOR SPEAKING WITH BICYCLING AUSTRALIA – FIRST UP, IN 2019 YOU AND A GROUP OF WOMEN RODE THE TOUR DE FRANCE COURSE AHEAD OF THE MEN’S RACE. CAN YOU TELL US HOW THAT CAME TO BE?

JULIE-ANNE HAZLETT: The concept started back in 2015 when three French women rode one day ahead of the male pro peloton. Their aim was to raise awareness for gender inequality in cycling and to campaign for a female Tour de France. The team became known as Donnons des Elles au Velo and has continued every year since then with a growing number of female cyclists taking up the challenge. In 2019, an international team of cyclists was put together via the internet by a French journalist, Nicolas Morteux. The team, known as the InternationElles, with cyclists from Australia,