Thousands of spectators on the roads, increasing television audiences, suspense … The fourth edition of the Tour de France confirms the advances of female cycling and the increase of an international audience, but its economic model is still fragile.
“Three years ago, when we relaunched the test, the level was very heterogeneous and we had to look for cities because there were no candidates,” recalls Christian Prudhomme, director of Cycling of ASO, organizer of the male and female tour.
“Today, there is true suspense and cities now compete for hosting stages” of the female tour, he adds.
Successful new version
In just four years of existence, the new version of the female tour, heir to a 1955 project by journalist Jean Leulliot, has found his way, his audience and a sports and media legitimacy that should “make it sustainable,” according to its director Marion Rousse.
The multiple attempts to create a test parallel to that of men ended up in failures.
“Marianne Vos (female cycling icon) came to look for us fifteen years ago to do something that would make the female cycling known,” says Prudhomme, whose first initiative was to create a one -day test from the male race, ‘The Course by Le Tour’.
Without income from ticket sales and in the absence of redistribution of television rights, female cycling, such as the masculine, survives only thanks to sponsors.
Hence the importance of media exposure: the female France tour is broadcast in 190 countries with a total of 25 hours live for this edition, Aso regularly recalls.
International event
The first available data mention “historical” hearings, according to Eurosport and France Télévisions, which broadcast the event in France.
During the first five stages, France 2 records an average of 2.2 million viewers (26.8% screen share), reaching a peak of 4.1 million on Sunday during the stage issued next to that of men.
Last year, the peak was about 3.5 million viewers for the arrival in Alpe D’Huez, according to figures from the organizer.
As a comparison, the male tour recorded its best score in 20 years during the last stage in Paris on Sunday, which attracted up to 8.7 million viewers in France 2.
Minimum salary and maternity leave
“The Tour of France represents 80% of the media impact for female cycling,” says Christian Prudhomme.
Declarations confirmed by the Heads of the Formations, such as Stephen of the Coust, manager of the FDJ-Suez, the current best team in the world founded in 2006 thanks to the financial support of FuturosCope-theme party focused on multimedia technology.
“We had to be a little crazy to embark on such an adventure. But today the girls receive the reward they deserve thanks to Aso, whom we will never thank enough,” says Stephen del Coust.
Women can live from cycling today, since the ICU has established a minimum wage for the World Tour corridors (44,000 euros gross per year, $ 50,000).
They also have the right to a maternity leave 100% paid during the first three months, which is included in the pension calculation.
The French Aude Biannic (Movistar), who at 34 “has known the two epochs of female cycling,” enjoy this new reality.
Gender gap
“Ten years ago, we took the races like a joke, a little like a vacation,” said AFP on Monday.
“Today everything is more professional. We evolved under the same conditions as men, while before we changed in the cars of cars and sometimes slept in secondary schools.”
Bicycles, ultra -tracomode buses, nutrition, performance follow -ups … “We don’t have much to envy men,” recognizes the French, IDRINE KERBAOL.
But the gap between the largest and others remains very wide and “the financial balance of female cycling is still fragile,” recalls Marion Rousse when asked about the viability of a discipline whose tour serves as a locomotive while expecting other tests to receive the same media coverage so that current sponsors do not discourage.
