(L’Alpe d’Huez) Popular success, progress at the sporting level, emergence of new talents, a scenario worthy of a Hitchcock thriller, but still limited financial resources, the third edition of the Tour de France, since its rebirth in 2022, has confirmed the progression of women’s cycling.
“Starting from Rotterdam, popular success is guaranteed,” predicted Marion Rousse at the start of the race on Monday August 12 in the Netherlands.
The race director was right. The first stage brought together 150,000 spectators along the roads towards The Hague.
A success that has never been denied throughout the week.
“This crowd is just incredible. It gives you goosebumps,” said experienced Dutchwoman Marianne Vos (37), who finished the event with the green jersey as best sprinter.
While television audiences have declined on France Télévisions (fluctuating between 1.5 and 2 million viewers during the week), they have, on the other hand, soared in Belgium (+20% audience compared to 2023) and in the Netherlands (+40%), proving a marked interest in the women’s Tour outside France.
But it is above all on the sporting level that the satisfactions are the most notable. The general level is progressing and the density too, with young riders who have revealed themselves to the general public, like the Breton Cédrine Kerbaol (23 years old), winner of the Morteau stage on Friday.
And the scenario of the last stage only reinforced the sporting interest with the final victory of the Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma by only four seconds ahead of the defending champion, the Dutch Demi Vollering, whose fall during the 5e This step weighed heavily on the outcome.
Since 2020, the International Cycling Union has established a minimum wage (32,000 euros per year) for female World Tour team riders, so they can now live off their passion and devote themselves fully to cycling.
The difference, however, remains abysmal compared to what men earn. For example, Katarzyna Niewiadoma received 56,480 in earnings, ten times less than Tadej Pogacar, winner of the men’s Grand Boucle in July.
“Our generation is very lucky”
“Our generation is very lucky,” rejoices Cédrine Kerbaol. “It makes me a little sad for the older ones,” she continues.
The coaching conditions have also evolved. Now, most teams have a comfortable bus, like the men.
“Ten years ago, Marion Rousse (then a cyclist) had to change in the trunk of the car,” recalled Christian Prudhomme, cycling director at ASO, the organizer of the Tour de France.
Things have changed. Now, several teams are conducting wind tunnel tests, using cryotherapy for recovery and surrounding themselves with dieticians.
The best example of this progression is undoubtedly the French team FDJ-Suez created in 2006 under the leadership of Stephen Delcourt. Today, it is a benchmark in the women’s peloton.
“From 20 employees in 2020, we are now 46 with the ambition of being 50 next year,” explains the team’s general manager. Over the last five years, FDJ-Suez’s (undisclosed) budget has quadrupled, which will allow it to welcome Frenchwoman Juliette Labous into its ranks next season and probably world number one Demi Vollering to support the promising Evita Muzic.
“The economy of women’s cycling remains fragile,” Marion Rousse says, however. An illustration is the French team Auber 93, which is looking for a sponsor capable of providing it with 500,000 euros so that it does not disappear.
“The visibility of the Tour de France is crucial for the development of women’s cycling and I am proud to be part of this progress. The girls deserve it,” concludes the director of the Grande Boucle féminine.