The Tour de France Femmes may look different next year—that’s 2024—thanks to the Olympics.
Not only does the typical end-of-July race schedule for the Tour de France Femmes potentially conflict directly with the Olympics for racers hoping to bring home a yellow jersey and a gold medal, but it also is a massive headache for race organizers since the Olympics will be held in Paris, France. While the exact dates and schedule for 2024 haven’t been confirmed, theories are flying after Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme confirmed there would be a date change in an interview with Italian cycling site BiciPro.
While he didn’t say much beyond the need for a date change, fans are already wondering if there could be more race days in store for the women, bringing the race duration closer to that of the men’s field. Some fans are wondering if the races will be run in parallel with each other, since the gap in racing between the Tour and the Olympics is equally important for the men and the women.
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We already know that the men’s dates would be changed, and that neither race will be able to start or finish in Paris due to the huge volume of people who will be in town for the Olympic Games.
The interview was primarily referring to the Grand Depart of the men’s Tour de France in 2024, which will take place in Italy. But it also shed some light on Prudhomme’s perspective on the women’s race, notably, a seemingly surprised realization that the women’s race was incredibly well-received.
He does claim that the economic difference—i.e the money that each race brings in—is still dissimilar (with the men’s race making more money). He added that the original attempts at adding a women’s race to the Tour were stopped due to their economic infeasibility. On the bright side, he did note that the new iteration of the women’s Tour was not a flash in the pan: He expects to see it continue for decades. “[We want the race to be] an event that had an impact for the future. But for it to be, the economic aspect is obviously fundamental,” he told BiciPro.
He further tempered the statement by adding, “We saw it after the first edition: it was a resounding success. We didn’t expect so many people on the roadside. We didn’t expect so many people in front of the television. But we must continue. We have to go further." (Note: Quotes have been translated from the original Italian.)
In the meantime, we’ll start the countdown to the 2023 race. This year’s iteration of the Tour de France Femmes runs from July 24 to 31, immediately following the men’s Tour.
Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training, with an emphasis on women in sport. Her new middle-grade series, Shred Girls, debuts with Rodale Kids/Random House in 2019 with "Lindsay's Joyride." Her other books include "Mud, Snow and Cyclocross," "Saddle, Sore" and "Fuel Your Ride." Her work has been published in magazines like Bicycling, Outside and Nylon. She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast.
