TOUR: Marion Rousse, organising an event successfully for the second time is often more difficult than the first time. How would you summarise the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes?
Marion Rousse: It was very successful. We achieved a lot in the first year. But now it was a question of confirming this, not only on the sporting side, but also in terms of spectator numbers and the aspect of showing the beauty of the country. I think we succeeded in doing that. We had an exciting race, a different winner every day and then a time trial that was exciting right to the end in the battle for second and third place overall. I was pleased with the changed view of the Tour. Last year, it was all about anchoring the Tour de France Femmes in people's consciousness and showing that it is a women's Tour de France: Yes, a Tour de France for women is possible. This year, that was no longer the question, but the athletes themselves, their fight against each other, their personalities took centre stage.
TOUR: You have made the course more difficult and added the Tourmalet, a mythical summit of the Tour de France, to the programme. Will it continue like this in the future, with more and more mountains and then more stages?
Marion Rousse: The most versatile Tour de France Femmes course possible
Marion Rousse: The course for next year has already been finalised, as has a rough outline for the following year. But for the exact route plan, I'll have to put you off until the official presentation of the route in the autumn. What we have tried to do with the Tourmalet is to anchor the Tour de France Femmes in the history of the Tour de France as a whole. We also wanted to show that women, like men, are capable of tackling the mythical climbs. And yes, we are definitely endeavouring to integrate such historic summits and the beautiful mountain ranges of France in general into the course of the Tour in the coming years. But we also want to make sure that we give as many riders as possible the opportunity to shine. That's why we're aiming for a very varied course, for the breakaway riders, the baroudeuses, but also the climbers and the sprinters. This year we also had a time trial for the first time. We are aiming for the same elements next year.
TOUR: However, the Grand Depart will be in Rotterdam in 2024, so the mythical climbs are a long way away. What was the deciding factor? Was it the fact that the Netherlands is the heartland of women's cycling and the Tour de France Femmes is coming home in this sporting way?
Marion Rousse: There were several reasons for this. As you say, women's cycling is very popular in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is ahead of other countries in terms of development. And cycling is also very much woven into everyday culture. That's what motivated us to organise the Grand Depart there. Another reason is the overlap with the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and ultimately it's also about continuing the tradition of the Tour de France with its many international starts.
TOUR: You were a professional cyclist yourself. How much do you think the quality of the peloton in women's cycling has changed, and what part has the Women's Tour played in this?
Marion Rousse: Women's cycling has changed enormously in recent years. The racing calendar has become richer, even without us. But the attention that the Tour generates is special. That goes for the men as well as the women. The quality in the peloton has continued to grow, the density of performance has increased. Of course, this also has to do with the investment in this sport. And we can see that the interest of sponsors continues to grow.
Marion Rousse: No competition between Tour de France Femmes and Tour of France Men
TOUR: Is there actually a competition between you and Christian Prudhomme, between the women's Tour de France and the men's Tour de France? Internally within the ASO organisation, or for the stage cities, sponsors or spectator numbers?
Marion Rousse: No, not at all. We've now got to the point where we see it as a Tour de France, a four-week Tour de France that also attracts spectators to the route in the summer. The Tour de France Femmes is also broadcast worldwide, we've had good numbers here in France. And there are more and more bidding cities that are interested in both the men's and the women's Tour. But of course you also have to say that the Tour de France has been around for more than 100 years, but we are only in our second year. There are differences. But I don't see any competition between us.
