women cyclists

[raindog]

my roommate asked me if there were any women in the TDF, and i replied "I don't think so, I haven't heard of any"
she asked me, "why not?"
I said, "good question"

is it a rule?
are there no women fast enough?
is there a team of women that are getting no tv time?

please help me satisfy her query

[Trek420]

Hey raindog

here's where you can check another thread on team estrogen for info on the womens equivelant of the tour:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1401&perpage=15&pagenumber=2

[raindog]

thank you
that helped, but if i may ask, could a women enter the tour if she chose to do so?
has there ever been a woman in the tour?
has there ever been a woman who would have been competive in the tour, yet couldn't enter due to her gender?

[cycleaxa]

Actually that question came up during OLN's internet coverage and I believe that Sean Kelly mentioned that it was not permitted and specifically in the rules that women could not compete in this tour. I have no idea of the validitity of this statement and a quick check of the aso web site did not reveal anything.

[fultzie]

i'm pretty sure it is in the rules that women specifically are not allowed to compete. i read a mini-history of the TdF in Lonely Planet's "Cycling France" and it said that until recent decades, women weren't even allowed as spectators.

are women allowed to compete in other tours (ie: Vuelta or Giro) where men compete (i mean, besides seperate races for women)?