The women will race this route during the first edition of La Course by Le Tour de France on July 27th.
The world’s top women road cyclists will come together on July 27th for the first edition of La Course by Le Tour de France. Coinciding with the final stage of the 2014 Tour de France, the event is destined to become an iconic race in the women’s calendar and will be broadcast on Universal Sports.
A few hours before the men’s peloton arrives in Paris, the world’s elite women cyclists will race the circuit in the historic heart of the city before fighting out a final sprint at the finish line on the Champs-Elysées.
“I am very excited to be taking part, especially with the majestic finish on the Champs-Elysées. The launch of this race is a revolutionary development in our sport. The Tour is the pinnacle of professional cycling, and I have no doubt that La Course by Le Tour identifies a new era for women’s cycling and will significantly contribute to the growth of road racing,” says Marianne Vos, Olympic and Triple World Champion in road racing.
The organizers of the Tour de France think that adding this event is a logical step forward in a discipline that is increasing in maturity and recognition. UCI President Brian Cookson will present medals to La Course by le Tour de France podium finishers.
Chrissie Wellington, four-time Triathlon World Champion and LTE co-founder, agrees. “The Le Tour Entier group (LTE), founded by myself, Marianne Vos, Emma Pooley and Kathryn Bertine are passionate about helping to grow women’s cycling and women’s sport and we have long been convinced that one of the best ways of achieving our mission is to work with the Tour de France, the beacon of world cycling. It was wonderful for LTE to have the opportunity to work together with A.S.O to realize our shared passion to continue to grow the sport for the benefit of all. La Course by Le Tour marks a giant step forward for women’s cycling, and one that the athletes, teams and the public around the world will undoubtedly support.”
A Women’s Cycling Fan’s To-Do List
Other than watching the race and taking in all the action, here are five ways you can participate in La Course by Le Tour de France.
1. Check out the start list.
2. Get to know one of your favorite teams. Here’s one of ours.
3. Compete at the gym. To encourage more competition among hobbyists, leading cycling training video company The Sufferfest created a new training film – Halfiseasy – that contains content from women’s competitions which will be shown in gyms worldwide.
4. Share your cyclist experiences. Women riders from all over the world are invited to show how they have pushed their boundaries via social media using the hashtags #owntheroad, #ownthetrail, #ownthejumps, #ownthetrack. Best tweets will be shared on @UCI_cycling and @UCIWomenCycling.
5. Follow the race using the following hashtags and handles:
#LaCourse
#AllezlesFilles
@lacoursebyTDF
@letour
