128 kilometers between Saint-Dié and Rosheim, then 127 from Sélestat to the Markstein pass. From July 29 to July 30, the riders of the “Tour de France Women” will travel through Alsace as part of the 6th and 7th stages. Excellent news for cycling lovers but also for the Bas-Rhin departmental committee, which hopes that the passage of the peloton will attract new riders to the department’s cycling clubs.
15% of the workforce of Bas-Rhinois clubs
“The feminization of cycling is one of the federation’s priorities”, explains Laurence Raugel, the female cycling referent at the Bas-Rhin departmental committee. For some years, the committee multiplies the actions to try to bring the young runners and retain them. “We set up women’s podiums in young races to enhance performance. We also always bring the maximum number of runners for the selections.”
Since April, the committee has also been organizing the “Women’s Challenge”: exclusively female training sessions organized with beginner runners and sponsored by the two professional cyclists from Alsace, Hélène and Perrine Clauzel. “We are gradually gaining licensees, but we would like it to go faster”, says Raugel.
In 2022, women cyclists represent only 15% of the more than a thousand licensees in the 25 Bas-Rhin clubs. The passage of this new edition of the women’s Tour de France is therefore a great opportunity to accelerate the movement. “We couldn’t have dreamed of better with these two stages in Alsace. Young girls also need figures and to project themselves. We hope that this Tour de France will strengthen the enthusiasm around women’s cycling and create vocations”.
I think the Tour will gradually make us gain young licensees
Only downside: there is no Alsatian cyclists on this Tour de France. One of the reasons is that, like men, women cyclists often stop around the age of 16 because they cannot combine long training and studies. However, the contingent of female runners being less important than for the men, few therefore take the step of professionalism.
Laurence Raugel (who is also the mother of Alsatian professional cyclist Antoine Raugel) therefore hopes that the Tour will help create a virtuous circle. “I think it will gradually make us win licensees and the more runners we have, the higher the level will be. It is thanks to this that we can bring out champions who will then inspire young girls.”