See you in Paris
In early June came confirmation of a new race that had long been rumoured. A Tour de France for women – Le Tour de France Femmes – will start in Paris on Sunday 24 July 2022, the same day the men’s race finishes in the French capital.
It’s understood that the first stage will be similar to the men’s final stage, if not identical: the traditional circuit race around central Paris finishing on the Champs-Elysees. While there is symbolism in the Paris start – the first ever Tour de France set off from the capital in 1903 – there is not yet much detail about the rest of the race. All will be revealed in October.
‘Today all the women’s races that we organise lose us money,’ says Prudhomme. ‘If it makes money that’s great, but it mustn’t lose money’
The announcement comes with a sense of relief and, among some of those who have been campaigning for a women’s Tour de France for almost a decade, cautious optimism. It isn’t the end of the road, but it is at least another few steps along it.
Gang of four
Eight years ago a campaign led by four prominent women – Marianne Vos,
