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A women’s version of the Tour de France is coming next year after a number of failed attempts in recent decades.
Coined the “Tour de France Femmes,” the race will take place following the conclusion of the men’s version, replacing La Course on the women’s WorldTour calendar.
“I’m hopeful that the race will help us grow our sport even more by providing us with a media platform to take the excitement of women’s cycling to new audiences,” said Dutch Olympic road race champion Anna van der Breggen.
Previous versions have been cut for being underfunded. On Thursday, Zwift — an app for cyclists, runners, and triathletes — announced a four-year partnership with the race.
“This is an incredibly important announcement for us as we look to build on our investment in women’s cycling,” said Eric Min, CEO and co-founder of Zwift.
Zwift worked with Amaury Sport Organisation last year to create a virtual version of the Tour de France. ASO has “owned” the race for the last 55 years and makes somewhere between $60 million and $150 million from it annually, according to The Hustle.
This year’s Tour de France has a total purse of over $2.6 million. Roughly 40% of the race’s revenue comes from ads and sponsors, 55% from TV rights, and 5% from city fees.
