- Event to officially be known as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
- Inaugural edition of race to take place from 24th to 31st July next year
Online fitness platform Zwift has been named as the presenting partner of the women’s Tour de France ahead of the cycling event’s inaugural edition next year.
The deal ensures that the eight-day event will be known as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for the next four years.
Christian Prudhomme, general director of the race, confirmed in an interview with The Guardian last month that the women’s Tour de France would be introduced from 2022.
It has now been announced that the event will take place from 24th to 31st July, the week following the men’s Grand Tour, and replacing La Course on the UCI Women’s World Tour calendar.
As part of its presenting partnership, Zwift plans to work with race organiser the Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) to grow women’s cycling and establish the women’s Tour de France as the pinnacle of the Women’s World Tour schedule.
Eric Min, chief executive and co-founder of Zwift, said: “This is an incredibly important announcement for us as we look to build on our investment in women’s cycling and really help grow and develop the sport.
“I really believe the women’s peloton puts on some of the most exciting bike racing to watch and it deserves a much bigger platform to exhibit these talents and skills. I’m proud that we can play a big part in making the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift a reality in 2022. Together we can bring women’s cycling to a larger audience and inspire new generations of female cyclists for years to come.”
The deal also marks the latest collaboration between the ASO and Zwift after the pair worked together last year to stage the first ever Virtual Tour de France, which was broadcast in over 130 countries.
