For the primary time for the reason that ‘80s, there can be a girls’s Tour de France long-distance biking race happening this summer season. It kicks off this Sunday, July 24, from Paris, and 24 elite groups will race one another by the fields and mountains of France. They’ll cowl 1,035.5 kilometers over the course of eight days to cross the end line on July 31.
This time round, nevertheless, the Tour de France Femmes appears a bit completely different. For one, it’s introduced by the digital racing platform Zwift, and is formally known as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. There’s additionally a considerably bigger quantity of obtainable prize cash than there was within the ‘80s. In line with VeloNews, it’s the richest girls’s race in historical past, with an accessible purse of €250,000 (about $255,000).
In contrast, when Marianne Martin gained the Tour de France Femmes in 1984, she acquired simply $1,000, which she shared together with her entire crew. That very same 12 months, the winner of the boys’s Tour de France acquired $200,000. Sadly, the gender pay hole hasn’t closed within the a long time since. The prize cash for the 2022 Tour de France Femmes could also be historic, however it pales compared to the boys’s Tour de France 2022 purse: €2.3 million.
In line with Martin, prize cash isn’t simply an added bonus for profitable a race—it may well make or break a bicycle owner’s profession as a result of qualifying for elite races means first having to journey world wide to smaller races to compete, plus the price of coaching and tools. “I by no means raced for the cash,” Martin says, “however I needed to cease racing for the dearth of it.”
Associated Tales
There may be nonetheless an extended highway forward relating to addressing gender inequality in sports activities (and simply typically). And to assist elevate consciousness of this truth, the digital platform Strava, a cell app that connects runners and cyclists with on-line communites and challenges, has partnered with the Tour de France and Zwift, and pledged $1 million to fairness in skilled sports activities. The primary portion of that dedication goes to The Cyclists Alliance, an impartial union representing over 220 riders that advocates for equal pay and higher working situations.
On your half, probably the greatest methods to help these unimaginable athletes is to tune in to the competitors. Within the U.S., you’ll be able to watch the biking motion streaming on Peacock. Bon likelihood, cyclists!
If you wish to practice to your personal bicycle race, whether or not it is a Tour de France or a Tour de Dwelling Room, this is a strengthening and stretching yoga move particularly designed for cyclists.
