I agree, it's always lose-lose when legal issues are tested, and it's never the same after. Maybe a span of 10 years has helped heal some wounds.

Well, there used to be a Tour de Feminin that has since been cancelled for a few years now I believe...but was the female version of TdF. Unfortunately I am sure it was cancelled due to lack of $$ and sponsorship. Women do not draw the $$ like men do (cycling, basketball, etc. etc.), but it's getting a little tiny bit better when you read pubs like Velonews where they actually mention women's results, publish (albeit very short) articles, and huuuuuh! god forbid, they even post pictures of the teams. Now when a woman gets on on the cover...

Although many hate to address the issue, women and girls do respond better to female only environments in sports like you mentioned. It's a different kind of pressure, a pressure to do your best and find out what you are made of, rather than a contest of "might".

Another *sigh*.