Tour de France Femmes facts for kids
 2024 Tour de France Femmes |
|
| Tour de France Femmes logo.jpg | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | July |
| Region | France |
| Local name(s) | Tour de France Femmes (in French) |
| Nickname(s) | La Grande Boucle, Le Tour Femmes |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI Women's World Tour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Organiser | Amaury Sport Organization |
| Race director | Marion Rousse |
| History | |
| First edition | 24 July 2022 |
| Editions | 3 |
| First winner |  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) |
| Most wins | No Repeat winner |
| Most recent |  Kasia Niewiadoma (POL) |
The Tour de France Femmes is a big annual bike race for women. It takes place around France. This exciting race is organized by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO). ASO also organizes the famous men's Tour de France. The Tour de France Femmes is part of the UCI Women's World Tour.
Some people call this race a 'Grand Tour'. This is because it is one of the most important events in women's cycling. However, it doesn't quite fit the official definition of a Grand Tour.
After a single race in 1955, a women's race similar to the Tour de France was held from 1984 to 2009. These races had problems over the years. They faced money issues, little media attention, and other difficulties.
Later, a shorter race called La Course by Le Tour de France was held from 2014 to 2021. Finally, the Tour de France Femmes started its first official race in 2022.
The race usually happens in July, right after the men's Tour. The 2022 and 2023 races both had eight stages.
All stages are timed from start to finish. A rider's time is added to their times from previous stages. The rider with the fastest total time is the race leader. This leader gets to wear the famous yellow jersey (called maillot jaune).
While the overall winner gets the most attention, there are other awards. The points classification is for sprinters. The mountains classification is for climbers. There is also a young rider classification for riders under 23. The team classification is based on the top three finishers from each team. Winning a stage is also a big achievement. This is often done by a team's fast sprinter or a rider who breaks away from the main group.
Contents
What are the Historic French Women's Races?
Many women's bike stage races have happened in France. These races were like a women's version of the Tour de France. The first one was a single event in 1955. From 1984, a women's Tour de France was held regularly. Its name changed many times. Some names included Tour de France Féminin and Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale.
A French rider named Jeannie Longo became famous by winning the race in 1987, 1988, and 1989. Over the years, these races faced challenges. They had money problems, not much media coverage, and issues with the Tour de France organizers. The last of these races was in 2009. Rider Emma Pooley even joked it was "more of a Petite Boucle than Grande."
How did La Course by Le Tour de France Start?
In 2013, some professional cyclists and a triathlete formed a group called Le Tour Entier. Their goal was to ask ASO to start a women's Tour de France. These athletes included Kathryn Bertine, Marianne Vos, Emma Pooley, and Chrissie Wellington.
After a lot of media attention and a petition signed by over 100,000 people, ASO launched La Course by Tour de France in 2014. This race happened at the same time as the men's Tour de France. The first race was a one-day event on the Champs-Élysées. It took place before the final stage of the men's race.
In later years, La Course happened in different places. These included Pau and famous mountain passes. ASO said this was the "best way to shine a light on female cycling."
At first, people liked La Course because it got attention by being with the Tour de France. But later, it was criticized for not being a "full Tour de France." Some felt it was overshadowed by the men's race. Others thought the route was not challenging enough. ASO was also criticized for not promoting the race enough. They also didn't provide good facilities for the women riders in 2017. ASO explained that it was hard to hold men's and women's Tours at the same time. They also said any race needed to be financially stable.
The New Tour de France Femmes
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In June 2021, ASO announced a brand new women's stage race. It would be called Tour de France Femmes. The first race would last 8 days. It would happen after the 2022 Tour de France in July 2022.
ASO also said that Zwift would sponsor the race. Live TV coverage would be provided by France Télévisions and the European Broadcasting Union. The men's tour director, Christian Prudhomme, said they learned from past mistakes. He wanted the new event to be financially stable. He hoped it would "still exist in 100 years."
The professional women cyclists were very happy about the new race. Anna van der Breggen said it had "long been a dream for many of us." Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig called it "a day that we’ve waited for, for a long time."
The Tour de France Femmes has the same awards as the men's Tour. The yellow jersey is for the overall leader. The green jersey is for points. The polka dot jersey is for mountain climbing. The white jersey is for the best young rider (under 23). The jerseys are made by Santini.
Main sponsor Zwift said their "virtual Tour de France" during the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged them to sponsor the real race. Other big Tour de France sponsors also support the event. The race has a prize fund of €250,000. This makes it the richest race in women's cycling.
The 2022 Tour de France Femmes
The route for the 2022 race was announced in October 2021. Race director Marion Rousse shared the details. The race began in Paris. A stage finished on the Champs-Élysées. This was on the morning of the men's final race day. The 8-day race ended with a tough climb at La Planche des Belles Filles.
The first race happened in July 2022. Annemiek van Vleuten won the week-long race by almost 4 minutes. She won even though she had a stomach bug early on. Marianne Vos won the green jersey for points. Demi Vollering won the polka dot jersey for mountains. She also finished second overall.
The public, media, teams, and riders loved the race. There were large crowds and many people watched on TV. This was the first official women's Tour de France since 1989. It got a lot of media attention worldwide. Marion Rousse said there was still room to make future races even better.
The 2023 Tour de France Femmes
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The route for the 2023 race was announced in October 2022. Riders praised the new route. The race started in Clermont-Ferrand. This was on the same day the 2023 Tour de France finished. The route then went south through the Massif Central towards the Pyrenees. The last stage was an individual time trial in Pau. Like in 2022, the race had 8 stages.
Demi Vollering won the race. She beat her rival Annemiek van Vleuten with a strong win on the Col du Tourmalet. Lotte Kopecky won the points classification. She also finished second overall. Kasia Niewiadoma won the polka-dot jersey for mountains. She also finished third overall.
For the second year, the race was highly praised. Marion Rousse said the 2023 race "was the year of confirmation." She meant they proved the first race was not just a one-time curiosity.
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes
The route for the 2024 race was announced in October 2023. This race did not happen right after the men's Tour. This was because of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Instead, it took place between the Olympics and the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
The 2024 race had its first start outside France. It began in Rotterdam, with three stages in the Netherlands. The route then went south towards the Alps. The final stage ended with a climb at the famous Alpe d'Huez.
Kasia Niewiadoma won the race. She beat Demi Vollering by only four seconds. Vollering lost time in a crash on stage 5. Marianne Vos won the green jersey for points. Justine Ghekiere won the mountains classification.
The 2025 Tour de France Femmes
In June 2024, it was announced that the 2025 race will start in Brittany. This is in north-west France. The race will also be longer, with nine stages.
Who are the Winners?
Since 1955, different professional women's bike stage races have been held in France. These were like the women's version of the Tour de France. You can find the winners for those older events in their own articles.
| Year | Rider | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) |
Movistar Team |
| 2023 | Demi Vollering (NED) |
SD Worx |
| 2024 | Kasia Niewiadoma (POL) |
Canyon–SRAM |
Yellow Jersey Statistics
The "Jerseys" column shows how many days a cyclist wore the yellow jersey. The "Tour wins" column shows how many times a cyclist won the overall race. The next columns show wins for points, mountains, and young rider competitions. The years show when the yellow jersey was worn. Bold years mean an overall Tour win.
This table is updated after stage 4 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.
| Cyclists who are still active |
| Cyclists who won the Tour de France |
| Rank | Name | Country | Yellow jerseys |
Tour wins |
Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lotte Kopecky |  Belgium |
6 | 0 | 2023 |
| 2 | Marianne Vos |  Netherlands |
5 | 0 | 2022 |
| 3 | Demi Vollering | Netherlands |
3 | 1 | 2023, 2024 |
| 3 | Kasia Niewiadoma |  Poland |
3 | 1 | 2024 |
| 4 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Netherlands |
2 | 1 | 2022 |
| 4 | Charlotte Kool | Netherlands |
2 | 0 | 2024 |
| 6 | Lorena Wiebes | Netherlands |
1 | 0 | 2022 |
Stage Winners
This is a list of riders who have won a stage in the Tour de France Femmes.
This table is updated after stage 4 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.
| Cyclists who are still active |
| Cyclists who won the Tour de France |
| Rank | Name | Country | Stage wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorena Wiebes | Netherlands |
3 | 2022, 2023 |
| 2 | Marianne Vos | Netherlands |
2 | 2022 |
| 2 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Netherlands |
2 | 2022 |
| 2 | Marlen Reusser |  Switzerland |
2 | 2022, 2023 |
| 2 | Charlotte Kool | Netherlands |
2 | 2024 |
| 2 | Demi Vollering | Netherlands |
2 | 2023, 2024 |
| 7 | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig |  Denmark |
1 | 2022 |
| 7 | Lotte Kopecky | Belgium |
1 | 2023 |
| 7 | Liane Lippert |  Germany |
1 | 2023 |
| 7 | Emma Norsgaard | Denmark |
1 | 2023 |
| 7 | Ricarda Bauernfeind | Germany |
1 | 2023 |
| 7 | Yara Kastelijn | Netherlands |
1 | 2023 |
| 7 | Puck Pieterse | Netherlands |
1 | 2024 |
Winners of Other Awards
| Cyclists who are still active |
| Year | Points Classification |
Mountains Classification |
Young Rider Classifcation  |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Marianne Vos (NED) |
Demi Vollering (NED) |
Shirin van Anrooij (NED) |
| 2023 |  Lotte Kopecky (BEL) |
Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) |
 Cédrine Kerbaol (FRA) |
| 2024 | Marianne Vos (NED) |
Justine Ghekiere (BEL) |
Puck Pieterse (NED) |
Where Has the Race Started Outside France?
Sometimes, the Tour de France Femmes starts in another country. This is called a Grand Départ.
- 2024: Rotterdam, Netherlands
See also
In Spanish: Tour de Francia Femenino para niños
- Giro d'Italia Women – a stage race in Italy
- La Vuelta Femenina – a stage race in Spain
