Tour de France Femmes: latest opportunity in the boom of women's sport

Everywhere you look, women's sport is booming. And women's cycling is no exception. The 2024 Tour de France Femmes is entering its third year and interest in the annual race and pinnacle of the sport has never been higher. But the truth is, it could be much further along.

In 1983, American cyclist Marianne Martin won the first official women’s Tour de France Women. As Martin stood triumphantly on the podium, the significance of the moment was palpable. It felt like something was changing in women's cycling. But Martin's victory, while historic, highlighted the enormous inequality, sexism and gender divide that prevail in the sport. French cyclist Laurent Fignon received more than $100,000 for his victory in the men's race. Martin received just $1,000.

“I paid for my own flight to New York and to Paris. I financed everything myself, bought my own bikes and went into debt to finance my career,” she said. to Outside Magazine in 2023.

Unlike the men's tour, which had existed since 1903, the women's tour lasted only five more years before faltering in 1989. The reasons for its short existence are similar to all other women's sports leagues and events: lack of adequate investment and funding, sponsors, resources, visibility and, perhaps most importantly, media exposure. After numerous attempts to reposition and relaunch, the women's tour officially ceased operations in 2004.

In 2009 A group of professional female cyclists decided to take matters into their own hands and founded The Entier Touran activist organization that advocates for women in their sport. They began asking the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the collective body that owns and oversees international sporting events, including the Tour, to organize and invest in a women's race. The ASO resisted, making the usual excuses: there's no audience, no interest, not enough money, not enough sponsors, blah blah blah.

For another decade, La Tour Entier continued to advocate for themselves and for female cyclists around the world, applying relentless pressure on the ASO in the hope of turning the tide and helping women's cycling to grow and develop exponentially and meaningfully.

Then, in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASO gave in. Needing a way to keep cycling going during a global sports shutdown, the organization partnered with virtual fitness company Zwift to host both a men's and women's cycling competition. virtual competition. Viewership numbers were promising enough to lead to the creation of a new edition of the Tour de France Femmes for women (sponsored by Zwift). It debuted in 2022 and was a huge success, with over 23.2 million viewers in 190 countries. Social media interaction between fans and riders increased by 300 percent from 2021 to 2022 as a result of the presence.

As history and the unfortunate History of women’s cycling began to spreadThe hype surrounding the Tour de France Femmes 2023 became even bigger. A total of 154 riders in 22 teams took part. The race was broadcast in 190 countries, with an average coverage of 2.5 hours per day. This time, too, 23 million people watched on television. On digital platforms, the Tour recorded more than 36.5 million video views from the first edition.

“The first Tour of 2022 exceeded expectations in terms of viewership,” said Kate Veronneau, Director of Women's Strategy at Zwift. “In the second year, we were able to maintain those viewership numbers, which was hailed as a huge success given that the Women's World Championship (which also broke viewership records in women's sport) was televised worldwide in the same week.”

Similar to previous women's sports and leagues like the WNBA and NWSL, high viewership on digital platforms often leads to the ability to attract more sponsorship and broadcaster interest, bringing with it more lucrative contracts and investment. With more accessible games on national television, viewership and demand quickly increase. The same pattern holds true for women's cycling.

“A key factor in the race's success lies outside of the broadcast. The race's official social media accounts have grown over 800 percent from 2022 to 2023, resulting in unprecedented visibility and interaction with the modern audience,” said Veronneau. “Riders' social media profiles have grown by leaps and bounds, increasing their personal brand value and opportunities.”

Veronneau cited Demi Vollering, winner of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes, as an example. Vollering has now signed a contract with Nike that is rumored to be worth around a million dollars – something that was unimaginable for professional female cyclists just a few years ago.

It is clear that there is a passionate and proven audience for women's cycling and now that they have more opportunities to watch and follow, they have the opportunity to participate in and enjoy the biggest and most competitive race in the sport.

This year Tour de France Women begins August 12 and runs through August 18. Viewers can watch videos and follow all the action on all social media platforms, as well as stream and watch live on CNBC and Peacock.