It was emphasized that the women's race should have an identity completely different from the men's and be able to create history.
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Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has confirmed that there will be a women’s race in summer 2022 closely after the men’s event. Prudhomme, who is also the general director of Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) made it official that the 2022 Tour de France will have a women’s race for the first time since 1989. It was only a matter of time before the race was officially announced as UCI president David Lappartient had announced a women’s race for 2022 last year. As per Prudhomme, the race was all set to take place in 2021 itself but in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Tokyo Olympics taking all the star names, the event has been pushed back a year.
“The decision has been taken. There will be a Tour de France femmes in 2022 following closely after the (men’s) Tour,” Prudhomme said. He also emphasized that the women’s race should have an identity completely different from the men’s and be able to create its own unique history. He said that the original Tour De France femmes lasted only six years due to economic imbalance and now they wanted to create a race that will stand the test of time.
“In my view, you have to put to one side the idea of parity between men and women,” he said. “Why? Because there was a reason why that race only lasted for six years, and that was a lack of economic balance. What we want to do is create a race that will stay the course, that will be set up and stand the test of time. What that means is that the race cannot lose money,” he concluded.
Prudhomme also said that the ASO keeps incurring losses in women’s races but still fund Fleche Wallonne, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and La Course. He also said that they would be running Paris-Roubaix later this year for the first time.
However, Prudhomme also mentioned that the fate of the Tour de France femmes would not be very different that lasted only six years and ended in 1989 if it loses money. If the race incurs hefty losses year upon year as it did in the 80s, Prudhomme says that once again, it will “die”.
“If that balance had been achieved then, we would be on our 35th women’s Tour now,” Prudhomme said. “The challenge is to set up a race that can live for 100 years. That’s why we want it to follow the men’s Tour so that the majority of the channels which broadcast the men’s Tour will cover it as well,” he said.
