The presence of women’s cycling on television has increased in recent years, and the teams are more professional. The Tour de France Femmes should be the next big hit. “Even as a child, I sat in front of the television, rooted for myself and watched the riders pedal up the mountains – and how they fought for that famous yellow jersey. And now I can ride there myself. It’s a crazy feeling,” said Bahnrad -Olympic champion Lisa Brennauer of the dpa.
The women want to write history
Over eight stages and 1029 kilometers, it goes south from Paris with a real highlight as the final chord. The tour ends with a stage to the Planche des Belles Filles, that up to 20 percent steep climb in the Vosges, the upper part of which is actually a ski slope. The tour itself only discovered the mountain in 2012, since then it has appeared regularly in the route map. The climb was established by 2020 at the latest, when Tadej Pogacar snatched the overall victory, which he believed to be certain, from his Slovenian compatriot Primoz Roglic on the penultimate stage.
Now the women want to write their own story. “Of course, this race is also something like a yardstick. Those who ride at the front of the tour have really achieved something. They’re a really big winner,” said Brennauer. She herself sees her strengths above all on the first, flatter stages.
Not everyone wants to join in the celebration just yet. Ralph Denk, boss of Team Bora-hansrgohe, will not open a women’s team, at least in the short term. “It’s absolutely exciting how women’s cycling has developed. We keep more than one eye on it,” said the Upper Bavarian. “We are curious how the race will be received, how many spectators will be there. And in the end we will look at the media data.” Because the women’s tour is also a business. And that will only survive if the numbers are right.