Vos wins La Course; no women’s Tour de France is planned yet

PAU, France — There is nothing bigger for male riders than victory at the Tour de France. It’s the pinnacle of cycling. But there is no such prize for female riders.

Despite calls from cycling’s governing body, UCI, for the creation of a women’s Tour, organizers of cycling’s marquee race have yet to come up with plans for an equivalent.

All they offer in July is a one day-race, La Course, that was held on the margins of the Tour de France on Friday in Pau and won by Dutch rider Marianne Vos.

Fresh from winning four stages at the 10-day Giro Rosa in Italy, Vos added another trophy to her large collection but victory in France did not taste the same.

“It was an incredible feeling to win four stages at the Giro, at the highest level,” said Vos, a three-time world champion. “Here at La Course, it was really nice to show this form.”

Tour organizers ASO have been holding the event since 2014 and said it’s not possible for them to operate a longer race, for logistical and security reasons.

“We are not capable of organizing another event during the Tour,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme told The Associated Press. “About 29,000 police forces are mobilized for three weeks. France has been struck by attacks; there were the yellow vests (protesters). It’s impossible to have even just one extra security staff during the Tour.”

To Prudhomme’s credit, ASO has been showing interest in running women’s equivalents of one-day classics Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The company also organizes a women’s mini Tour of Yorkshire over two days.

UCI president David Lappartient said this week he has been holding discussions with Tour organizers aiming at boosting women’s cycling exposure.

“One day of racing is clearly not enough for women,” Lappartient told the BBC. “If we want a women’s Tour de France, we can (have it). For women’s cycling we can continue to push.”

A women’s Tour de France was held during the 1980s alongside the men’s race. Frenchwoman Jeannie Longo won it three times, but the race never fueled real media interest.