The Tour’s First Lady

Marie-Odile Amaury’s gaze casts significantly further than the view over the River Seine on the doorstep of her offices. As head of the €450 million family business that bears her name, Groupe Amaury, Marie-Odile presides not just over newspaper L’Equipe but over Amaury Sports Organisation in its entirety – owner of the Critérium du Dauphiné, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Nice, La Vuelta a España, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, La Flèche Wallone and the Tour de Yorkshire. And, of course, the Tour de France.

It’s a considerable remit for the businesswoman, especially given that she took the helm later in life after the passing of her husband Philippe from cancer in 2006. But with a degree in journalism from Strasbourg University followed by an executive career at Young and Rubicam advertising agency (now VMLY&R), Amaury was well positioned to take it all in her stride, with a little help from the family.

While Marie-Odile is chairwoman, her children Aurore and Jean-Etienne head up the main branches of Groupe Amaury – sports media and sports events, the latter stretching beyond cycling to encompass the Paris Marathon, Dakar Rally and events in golf and sailing too. So while