Since Lance Armstrong’s January admission to doping allegations in the Tour de France, it was clear that this was the discussion would be taking center stage at the 2013 race.  With competitors expressing their frustration with the fact that they have been cycling in the shadow of dopers for the past three decades, as well as statements made by Armstrong saying that it is “impossible to win the tour without doping,” the tone of the conversations from Corsica to the Champs-Elysees have taken a negative tone.
But as the 100 year anniversary of the tour reaches its conclusion this weekend, the emergence of a petition on Change.org for female participation in the 2014 race has provided the tour with a much needed, optimistic twist.Â
Written by Kathryn Bertine, an American cyclist, journalist and filmmaker, and co-written by two other female Olympic cyclists and an Iron Man champion, the petition requests an independent female competition to operate on the same course as the male race.
With close to 43,000 signatures in less than a week, the petition has garnered a great deal of publicity. Â Tour director Christian Prudhomme has told the Associated Press that he will not make a formal statement yet regarding the petition.
This is not the first attempt to include females in the Tour de France. In 1984, The Tour de France FĂ©minin was established, but the race “lacked parity, media coverage, and sponsorship.” Despite the petition’s early success, US Cycling released a statement bringing to light the challenges of putting this plan into action within the next year: “A stand-alone women’s Tour de France would be a great platform to showcase the top talent in women’s cycling, but we also appreciate there will be major logistical, financial and broadcasting challenges and ramifications in having a women’s race parallel the men’s event.”
But regardless of logistical challenges and time constraints, the petition’s ability to bring to light longstanding sexism in sports can potentially pave the path for future gender equality in cycling, and sports in general, because as phrased by Bertine: “Everybody’s saying the Tour de France is turning 100, but all female cyclists are saying that the Men’s Tour de France is turning 100 and we still haven’t been invited yet.”Â
Click here to sign the petition!Â
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