A women's grand tour... have they ever tried to have one??
07-23-10, 10:13 PM
#1
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A women's grand tour... have they ever tried to have one??
Seems like women's cycling could pull one off if they could get the sponsors behind the teams. Seems like America would be a good place to have one.... They could easily market some of the top women riders in various ways....
07-23-10, 10:57 PM
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Marianne Martin won the first women's Tour de France in 1984.
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07-23-10, 11:36 PM
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The women's Giro just finished a couple of weeks ago.
There used to be a women's Tour de France that lasted about a week but IIRC it folded a few years ago due to lack of sponsorship money.
There used to be a women's Tour de France that lasted about a week but IIRC it folded a few years ago due to lack of sponsorship money.
07-24-10, 06:20 AM
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thats really too bad, I actually saw some of the Women's tour de france on tv once.
Right now, the women's tour of Thuringia is going on...a smaller stage race, more like the men's Tour of Bavaria.
Right now, the women's tour of Thuringia is going on...a smaller stage race, more like the men's Tour of Bavaria.
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07-24-10, 01:41 PM
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Im not a woman hater or anything, but Iv seen women's tours are they are really lame.
The american genreal public doesnt really get cycling, and this thread is a good example. As i mentioned in another thread, grand tours are about a journey, a voyage, a quest, there just isnt any association or sensibility with women.
Just the way society has personified them, just the way it is. Woemn have always been seen as things of beuaty and papmering, and tours are about grit and endeavor. When you watch a womans grand tour, you dont get that feeling.
Day races are better, but I think if we really want to grow women's cycling is we host a shhhit load of criteriums, those are good to watch.
Velodrome women's races are also pretty good.
And whats great about that, is all the profiteering, product and money making opportunities with arena based events. When in america, talk about money and you can make anything popular.
The american genreal public doesnt really get cycling, and this thread is a good example. As i mentioned in another thread, grand tours are about a journey, a voyage, a quest, there just isnt any association or sensibility with women.
Just the way society has personified them, just the way it is. Woemn have always been seen as things of beuaty and papmering, and tours are about grit and endeavor. When you watch a womans grand tour, you dont get that feeling.
Day races are better, but I think if we really want to grow women's cycling is we host a shhhit load of criteriums, those are good to watch.
Velodrome women's races are also pretty good.
And whats great about that, is all the profiteering, product and money making opportunities with arena based events. When in america, talk about money and you can make anything popular.
Last edited by Howzit; 07-24-10 at 01:47 PM.
07-24-10, 02:05 PM
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As was explained to me by a woman once: Professional women sports will never achieve the heights of men's sports because women generally don't like to watch women compete. They would rather watch men.
Kinda makes sense when ya think about it.
Kinda makes sense when ya think about it.
07-24-10, 06:41 PM
#9
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brought up in today's NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/sp...pagewanted=all
In Europe, cycling is dominated by men. A women’s Tour has never caught on here, partly because of sponsorship issues. A semblance of a women’s Tour, the four-day Grand Boucle, was held last year.
So, like the ring girls in boxing or the victory lane girls in auto racing, the podium girls are accessories to the athletes. And in French culture, the Tour director Christian Prudhomme said, that is more than all right.
“We would love to have a women’s Tour, but we already close the roads for hours and hours, so it is logistically impossible to do that twice a year,” Prudhomme said. “But remember, there were no women in the Tour organization for 30 years, so that’s changing now. I am doing all I can for that to change.”
Prudhomme chose a woman, Claire Pedrono, a cycling champion of the Brittany region in France, for a prestigious job at this Tour: holding up the race blackboard that tells the cyclists time information, such as how far they are ahead of the pack behind them. She rides the course on the back of a motorcycle.
“I felt like she deserved that honor because of her accomplishments as a cyclist,” Prudhomme said. “But I have to be honest with you, it also doesn’t hurt that she has a nice smile.”
So, like the ring girls in boxing or the victory lane girls in auto racing, the podium girls are accessories to the athletes. And in French culture, the Tour director Christian Prudhomme said, that is more than all right.
“We would love to have a women’s Tour, but we already close the roads for hours and hours, so it is logistically impossible to do that twice a year,” Prudhomme said. “But remember, there were no women in the Tour organization for 30 years, so that’s changing now. I am doing all I can for that to change.”
Prudhomme chose a woman, Claire Pedrono, a cycling champion of the Brittany region in France, for a prestigious job at this Tour: holding up the race blackboard that tells the cyclists time information, such as how far they are ahead of the pack behind them. She rides the course on the back of a motorcycle.
“I felt like she deserved that honor because of her accomplishments as a cyclist,” Prudhomme said. “But I have to be honest with you, it also doesn’t hurt that she has a nice smile.”
07-25-10, 01:36 AM
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What's next, a gay obese Australian Jewish midget Tour, so they won't have to compete on a level footing with the others, either?
07-25-10, 03:02 AM
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Im not a woman hater or anything, but Iv seen women's tours are they are really lame.
The american genreal public doesnt really get cycling, and this thread is a good example. As i mentioned in another thread, grand tours are about a journey, a voyage, a quest, there just isnt any association or sensibility with women.
Just the way society has personified them, just the way it is. Woemn have always been seen as things of beuaty and papmering, and tours are about grit and endeavor. When you watch a womans grand tour, you dont get that feeling.
The american genreal public doesnt really get cycling, and this thread is a good example. As i mentioned in another thread, grand tours are about a journey, a voyage, a quest, there just isnt any association or sensibility with women.
Just the way society has personified them, just the way it is. Woemn have always been seen as things of beuaty and papmering, and tours are about grit and endeavor. When you watch a womans grand tour, you dont get that feeling.
I see absolutely nothing "lame" about the Giro Donne. 921 kms at an average of about 36km per hour for the winner over a course that includes serious climbing doesn't seem that lame to me. And if you watch those women climb you'll see plenty of grit and endeavour. I'm afraid your inability to associate women with endurance sports says much more about you than them.
You do have a point about social and commercial attitudes, though. There's still a regrettable tendency to regard women's sport as a sideshow.
07-25-10, 03:06 AM
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Er, no it doesn't. By similar logic men might rather watch women compete. And men are still the majority audience for sporting events. Or are we going to start a debate about the homoerotic component of the psychology of male sports fans? Probably a lot to be said about that.
07-25-10, 03:27 AM
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If so, then I have to tell you that although there are undoubtably millions of women on the planet who could make me look like a gay obese australian jewish midget in a bike race even the best female cyclist would have no chance riding on an equal level with the men in the Tour de France. It's not even close. As proof just look at the times of top female marathon runners and male marathon runners, the difference is huge. Women just biologically don't have the endurance abilities that men have.
07-25-10, 03:45 AM
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Im not a woman hater or anything, but Iv seen women's tours are they are really lame.
The american genreal public doesnt really get cycling, and this thread is a good example. As i mentioned in another thread, grand tours are about a journey, a voyage, a quest, there just isnt any association or sensibility with women.
Just the way society has personified them, just the way it is. Woemn have always been seen as things of beuaty and papmering, and tours are about grit and endeavor. When you watch a womans grand tour, you dont get that feeling.
Day races are better, but I think if we really want to grow women's cycling is we host a shhhit load of criteriums, those are good to watch.
Velodrome women's races are also pretty good.
And whats great about that, is all the profiteering, product and money making opportunities with arena based events. When in america, talk about money and you can make anything popular.
The american genreal public doesnt really get cycling, and this thread is a good example. As i mentioned in another thread, grand tours are about a journey, a voyage, a quest, there just isnt any association or sensibility with women.
Just the way society has personified them, just the way it is. Woemn have always been seen as things of beuaty and papmering, and tours are about grit and endeavor. When you watch a womans grand tour, you dont get that feeling.
Day races are better, but I think if we really want to grow women's cycling is we host a shhhit load of criteriums, those are good to watch.
Velodrome women's races are also pretty good.
And whats great about that, is all the profiteering, product and money making opportunities with arena based events. When in america, talk about money and you can make anything popular.
07-25-10, 03:46 AM
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Giving birth is not a professional sport, is it?
I'm not someone who bashes women sports, I think they have just as much value for spectators as men sports, but I'm sorry but top female athletes just can't measure up to top male athletes. This is not discrimination, it's biology.
I'm not someone who bashes women sports, I think they have just as much value for spectators as men sports, but I'm sorry but top female athletes just can't measure up to top male athletes. This is not discrimination, it's biology.
07-25-10, 08:37 AM
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Er, no it doesn't. By similar logic men might rather watch women compete. And men are still the majority audience for sporting events. Or are we going to start a debate about the homoerotic component of the psychology of male sports fans? Probably a lot to be said about that.
07-25-10, 01:47 PM
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Many of them can spell, though...
I see absolutely nothing "lame" about the Giro Donne. 921 kms at an average of about 36km per hour for the winner over a course that includes serious climbing doesn't seem that lame to me. And if you watch those women climb you'll see plenty of grit and endeavour. I'm afraid your inability to associate women with endurance sports says much more about you than them.
I see absolutely nothing "lame" about the Giro Donne. 921 kms at an average of about 36km per hour for the winner over a course that includes serious climbing doesn't seem that lame to me. And if you watch those women climb you'll see plenty of grit and endeavour. I'm afraid your inability to associate women with endurance sports says much more about you than them.
Just so you know, I used to average 42km/h as a junior (17 years old) on 5 day tour races when I was on the national team.... without drugs, no pain killers, no ephedrine, no caffeine, no creatine not even energy drinks. Just Water, bread and jam, and bananas, and peanut butter for protein. Oh, and restricted gears in accordance to the UCI rules. On a crappy steel bike on South African roads, with half closed traffic roads with potholes that completely break your rim in half, and no team supporting vehicles, or service cars. Non indexed downtube shifters, mavic box rims with worn out ball bearings and cones, worn out sprockets and chain. And this isnt in the 50's, im talking about late 90s early 2000s when they had carbon bikes, STIs and deep dish aero wheels. (this is not sarcasm, this is real, im being honest and truthful)
Im failing to see what intrigues you about an average speed 36km/h? Especially in a race situation in a short tour, when non professional Junior boys without comparable equipment or support can do the same if not better??
Last edited by Howzit; 07-25-10 at 02:04 PM.
07-25-10, 03:11 PM
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For whatever it's worth, I'm a woman, and I prefer watching women's sports. I find men's sports dull by comparison.
07-25-10, 03:28 PM
#21
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There really was a push for the expansion of women's professional racing years ago. The Tour de Feminin (sp?), women's Giro, etc... Years ago, when I worked for a company that specifically sponsored a women's racing team, the big U.S. race was the Tour de Idaho. The last one of those that I actually know of was in 2000. I really have not been involved in racing since then, nor sponsorships, etc... but it does seem like enthusiasm for women's racing has pretty much fallen off, but I don't know why. If I had to guess though...it's simply because companies with lot's of money don't think it's a worthwhile, long-term investment. Which is really sad, I've watched hundreds of women's races...all of them were "just as good" or "better" than the men's race. Funny thing is, I never really thought about it being a "women's" race or a "men's" race....it was just a race.
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07-25-10, 03:57 PM
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07-26-10, 09:29 AM
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The Tour De Feminin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de...e_F%C3%A9minin
When you look at the past competitors and results, perhaps the biggest story is that Longo is not only still competing but once again this year was the French national champion....at age 51. And you thought Lance was old.
When you look at the past competitors and results, perhaps the biggest story is that Longo is not only still competing but once again this year was the French national champion....at age 51. And you thought Lance was old.
07-27-10, 11:06 AM
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Actually this is just wrong. If it were true, the percentage difference between the male and female records would grow as the distances increased. In fact the difference between men's and womens world records at 100 meters is about 10%, and the difference between men's and women's records for the marathon is about...10%. It ain't that women have less stamina, it's just that men typically have a better power/weight ratio. Some men, anyway.
07-27-10, 12:14 PM
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You're woefully ignorant. Google Pam Reed and Badwater.
The reality is that it all comes down to sponsorship money. Especially for a sport like cycling where there isn't a gate. Right now, money is so tight for sporting sponsorship, everyone is shaking. And women's sports are notoriously hard to sell sponsorships for. Take for example NASCAR, it's the gold standard for how sponsorships translate into customer loyalty...and that's what a sponsorship is supposed to do, generate customers. The best known sponsor for women's sports was when Virginia Slims sponsored women's tennis. Problematic. It made me cringe just typing it.