Uphill Climb: The Women Who Conquered the Tour de France

Meet the women who were the "hidden figures" of cycling

On July 22, 1984  American Marianne Martin won the debut Tour de France Féminin. She stood on the podium wearing the yellow jersey next to the men’s Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon. Few paid attention to the historic importance of her victory in the inaugural Tour de France Féminin. “They didn’t think we women would finish the race,” recalled Martin. “That’s what we were up against.”

Held from 1984 to 1989, the Tour de France Féminin brought together the strongest women cyclists from around the world. The Tour followed the same courses as the men, including heart-stopping climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees mountains. Each stage ended at the same finish line as the men’s race, ensuring that huge crowds would be there to cheer on the women.

The women rode for glory and for the opportunity to participate in the longest and most storied cycling race in the world. Even though throngs of fans cheered for the women along the roadsides, few people knew about the race outside of Europe. Media coverage was sparse, even in cycling publications which remained focused on the men’s events. The stigma of being women athletes and the stereotype that women couldn’t handle the rigors of the Tour de France ultimately proved too difficult to surmount.

After the final Tour de France Féminin in 1989, the race was held in various forms including, in 2014, a one day race for the professional peloton called La Course by Le Tour de France in 2014. In spite of these fits and starts, women racers continued to push for a return to a full Tour de France race. And thanks to these efforts, a new era of women’s cycling that includes pay parity and renewed media attention on women’s racing has finally arrived.

With the explosion of interest in women’s cycling and the debut of the Tour de France Avec Zwift in 2022, it is critical to tell the stories of the Tour de France Féminin and the amazing women who conquered this epic race. These women set the stage for the women riders and racers of the present day and are inspirations for all athletes.

This is why we are making Uphill Climb--so that the women of the Tour de France will never be forgotten.