Women want a chance at Tour de France

Marianne Vos, who has Olympic gold medals and the road race world champion’s rainbow jersey in her trophy cabinet, wants to add a yellow jersey.

Olympic road race champion Vos is among a group of cyclists, including British Olympian Emma Pooley, who have launched an online petition urging Tour de France organizers to let women participate in next year’s race.

In an online letter to Tour director Christian Prudhomme, the riders say that after a century “it is about time women are allowed to race the Tour de France, too.”

A “Tour Feminin” women’s race in France that was staged in the past, but not since 2009, “lacked parity, media coverage and sponsorship,” the letter to Prudhomme says.

Pooley won the 2009 race and Vos placed third.