The International Women's Tour de France

Organised for the first time since 2009, the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale returns in 2022 under the name Tour de France Femmes avec Swift. This is the perfect occasion for Ekoï to revisit the history of this stage race, one of the greatest women's cycling competitions.

What is the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale?

The Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale was a multi-stage road cycling race held in France, featuring the best riders from the global peloton.

This competition was born in 1992 thanks to Pierre Boué and one of the women who marked the history of women's cycling, the star Jeannie Longo. 17 editions took place between 1992 and 2009, the year it was discontinued. Most of these editions, with few exceptions, were part of the UCI calendar.

Just like the men's Tour de France, distinctive jerseys were awarded:

• the gold jersey for the winner;

• the harlequin jersey for the best climber;

• the emerald jersey for the best sprinter.

The former women's Tour de France, as it was originally named, was one of the three grand tours for women alongside the now-defunct Tour de l’Aude Cycliste Féminin and the Giro Rosa (Women's Tour of Italy).

Let's dive into the origins of this famous women's stage race.

The early days of the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale

The idea of a women's version of the Tour de France dates back well before the birth of the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale.

The very first race was organized in 1955 by Jean Leulliot, a journalist for the weekly Route et Piste, even before the first women's cycling competition at the world championships. However, it took 29 years after this attempt to establish an official women's event organized by the Société du Tour de France, the organiser of the men's Tour de France. Women raced as a curtain-raiser for the men's event. Though the women were only allowed to race the final 60 kilometers of the men's stages, women's cycling began to evolve in France, thanks to Félix Lévitan, who initiated the revival of the event.

From 1984 to 1989, this women's Tour de France sparked the first female rivalries. French champion Jeannie Longo and Italian Maria Canins battled for victory, finishing in the top two spots every year starting in 1985. Abandoned for economic reasons, the women's Tour was transformed into the European Economic Community Tour. Four years later, the EEC Women's Tour also faded away.

The birth of the women's cycling Tour

In this context, the initiative of Jeannie Longo and Pierre Boué resulted in the creation of the women's cycling Tour. However, the journey was challenging for the organisers: the Société du Tour de France did not make it easy and asserted its monopoly. Indeed, they held the rights to the term "tour," forcing the founders to rename the race "Grande Boucle Internationale Féminine." The yellow jersey also had to be renamed to the gold jersey.

Tensions continued with the Société du Tour de France, which became Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), and the UCI, as financial and organizational difficulties piled up. Participants criticised the poor quality of hotels, long transfers between stages, and unpaid race prizes. The Grande Boucle Féminine came to an end after the 2009 edition, leaving only the Route de France Féminine in the landscape of women's stage races.

A new edition in 2022: the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

But the Grande Boucle Internationale Féminine hasn't said its final word. In 2022, the women's Tour de France is making a grand return!

It replaces the Course by le Tour de France established in 2014. This one-day race took place as a curtain-raiser to the final stage of the Tour de France and consisted of a circuit on the Champs-Élysées.

An economic challenge that largely rests on the media potential of the event. The goal: to create a race "that can last 100 years," according to Christian Prudhomme.

The record of the Grande Boucle Internationale Féminine

The most decorated women in the Grande Boucle Internationale Féminine are Italian Fabiana Luperini and Spanish Joane Somarriba, with three victories each.

British cyclist Emma Pooley is the current titleholder, dating back to the last edition in 2009.

Here are the champions of the 17 editions:

• 1992: Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands);

• 1993: Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands);

• 1994: Valentina Polkhanova (Russia);

• 1995: Fabiana Luperini (Italy);

• 1996: Fabiana Luperini (Italy);

• 1997: Fabiana Luperini (Italy);

• 1998: Edita Pučinskaitė (Lithuania);

• 1999: Diana Žiliūtė (Lithuania);

• 2000: Joane Somarriba (Spain);

• 2001: Joane Somarriba (Spain);

• 2002: Zinaida Stahurskaia (Belarus);

• 2003: Joane Somarriba (Spain);

• 2004: edition canceled;

• 2005: Priska Doppmann (Switzerland);

• 2006: Nicole Cooke (United Kingdom);

• 2007: Nicole Cooke (United Kingdom);

• 2008: Christiane Soeder (Austria);

• 2009: Emma Pooley (United Kingdom).

Now you're an expert on the Grande Boucle Internationale Féminine. How about learning more about the Women's Cycling World Championship?