The tour is "a huge step forward for our visibility. Also to show how exciting our races are. We are in no way inferior to the men," the 33-year-old from the Allgäu told the Tagesspiegel.
Next year, for the first time since 2009, a women's tour with eight stages will start on the day of the men's final in Paris. Brennauer has the feeling "that women's races, which were linked to the men's races, have been well received in recent years and that something is happening overall."
The cyclist, who won Olympic gold with the track foursome at the Games in Tokyo, hopes that the increased media presence of the women's tour will also equalise the prize money between women's and men's cycling. There are "still very big differences and a lot of catching up to do", said Brennauer: "There should be some progress and I also hope that the development will continue in the future."
In addition to the gold medal, she also won the European Championship and World Championship titles in the quad and single pursuit. On the road, Brennauer became world champion with the German mixed relay team. So 2021 was already the "perfect year" for her. "I don't think that can be topped," said Brennauer, "of course, I wouldn't be an athlete if there wasn't still room for improvement."
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