‘We believe in women’s cycling, so we call it investing’: Tour de France director criticised for saying women’s races lose money

While announcing the return of the women’s Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme said every race organised by ASO loses money

While news that the women’s Tour de France will return in 2022 has been broadly celebrated across the cycling world, the organiser has come under fire for his choice of words when announcing the race.

Christian Prudhomme, the head of cycling events for Tour de France organiser ASO, has confirmed that the women’s Tour de France will return to the calendar for the first time since 1989, taking place shortly after the men’s event.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.