Everywhere you look, women’s sports are booming. And women’s cycling is no exception. As the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift enters its third year of existence, the interest in the annual race and the pinnacle of the sport has never been higher. But the truth is, it could be much farther along.
Back in 1983, American cyclist Marianne Martin, became the winner of the first official women’s Tour de France Féminin. As Martin stood triumphantly on the platform, the significance of the moment was palpable. It felt as if something was shifting in women’s cycling. But Martin’s win, while historic, highlighted the huge disparity, sexism and gender gap prevalent in sports. French cyclist Laurent Fignon received more than $100,000 for winning the men’s race. Martin received a mere $1000.
“I paid for my own flight to New York, to get to Paris. I funded everything myself, bought my own bikes, got into debt to fund my career,” she told Outside Magazine in 2023.
Unlike the men’s Tour, which had been in existence since 1903, the women’s Tour only lasted five more years, before sputtering out in 1989. The reasons for its short-lived existence are similar to those across women’s sports leagues and events — lack of proper investment and funding, sponsors, resources, visibility and perhaps most importantly, media coverage. After numerous attempts to rebrand and restart, the women’s Tour officially ceased operations in 2004.
In 2009, a group of professional women cyclists decided to take matters into their own hands and formed La Tour Entier, an activist organization to advocate for women in their sport. They began petitioning the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the collective body that owns and overseas international sporting events, including the Tour, to create and invest in a women’s race. The ASO resisted and the usual excuses were levied: there’s no audience, no interest, not enough money, not enough sponsors, yadda, yadda, yadda.
For yet another decade, the La Tour Entier continued to advocate for itself and for women cyclists all over the world. They pressured the ASO relentlessly, hoping to turn the tide, intent on helping women’s cycling grow and evolve in an exponential and meaningful way.
Then in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASO relented. Needing a way to keep cycling going during a global sports shutdown, the organization partnered with virtual fitness company Zwift to hold both a men’s and a women’s virtual competition. The viewership and audience numbers were promising enough to lead to the formation of a new iteration of the women’s Tour de France Femmes (sponsored by Zwift). It debuted in 2022 and was deemed a huge success, with over 23.2 million viewers across 190 countries. Social media interaction between fans and riders grew 300 percent from 2021 to 2022 as a result of the exposure.
As the story and the unfortunate history of women’s cycling began to spread, the hype leading up to the 2023 Tour de France Femmes grew even bigger. A total of 154 riders participated across 22 teams. The race was broadcast in 190 countries, with an average of 2.5 hours of coverage per day. Again, 23 million people tuned in to watch on television. On digital platforms, the Tour recorded more than 36.5 million video views from the first edition.
“The inaugural Tour in 2022 shattered expectations of viewership,” said Kate Veronneau, Zwift’s Director of Women’s Strategy. “The second year maintained that viewership, which was touted as a huge success, given the Women’s World Cup (which also broke women’s sports viewership records) was televised globally during the same week.”
Similar to previous women’s sports and leagues, such as the WNBA and the NWSL, high viewership numbers on digital platforms often lead to the ability to leverage and lure more sponsorships and broadcast interest, which brings more lucrative deals and investment to the table. With more accessible games on national television, audience growth and demand quickly increase. The same blueprint is happening in women’s cycling.
“A key factor in the success of the race lies outside of broadcast. The official race social accounts grew over 800 percent from 2022 to 2023, driving unprecedented visibility and engagement with modern audiences,” said Veronneau. “Riders’ social profiles have skyrocketed, driving up their personal brand value and opportunities.”
Veronneau cited 2023 Tour de France Femmes winner Demi Vollering as an example. Vollering has since inked a deal with Nike that is rumored to be around one million dollars — something that was unimaginable for professional women cyclists just few years ago.
It’s evident that an eager and proven audience exists for women’s cycling. Now, with more opportunities to watch and follow along, they have the ability to engage and enjoy the biggest and most competitive race in the sport.
This year’s Tour de France Femmes begins on August 12 and runs through August 18. Viewers can watch videos and keep up with all the actions on all social media platforms, and stream and watch live on CNBC and Peacock.