Grande Boucle

The Grande Boucle, formerly known as the "Tour Cycliste Feminin", or simply Tour Feminin, is one of the Grand Tours of women's cycle races in the world. The term "Grande Boucle" itself means "Great Loop" in English and was called thus because the race was held as a series of individual stages which, together, took a circuitous course around France.

Therein lies one of the problems which this race experienced, as well as one of the reasons the race was so difficult. The organizers had to scramble for sponsorship money nearly every year and were forced to schedule the individual stages in those cities which contributed sponsorship money, regardless of their geographical location. As a result, there were often very long auto transfers between the finish of one stage and the start of the next stage - sometimes involving several hours driving after a long, hard day of racing.

Another problem which cropped up in the mid-1990s involved the name of the race itself. Until 1997, the race took place under the name "Tour Cycliste Féminin" (TCF), when the race was billed as the "Women's Tour de France", or just the "Women's Tour", patterned after the (men's) Tour de France which was known as "Le Tour". The organizing committee of that latter race objected on trademark grounds to the use of the word "Tour" or the billing of the women's event as a women's Tour de France and in 1998 the TCF organizers changed the name.

In spite of all the troubles, the Grande Boucle, during its run, was one of the premier events each year in women's cycle racing and the list of winners and medalists reads like a Who's Who in women's cycle racing. To win or even be awarded a medal in the event was considered a stellar achievement, one which would grace any rider's resume.

In 2004, the race could not be held because of organisational difficulties. It returned in 2005 and 2006 in a smaller format. The previous tours were often 10 to 15 stages long, while the recent races had only five stages, and stayed in one region of France. The race was also rated much lower by the UCI, and consequently had a reduced field of competitors. In 2008, the race was up to six days and seven stages, and the 2009 event will be increased to seven days.

"La Grande Boucle Feminine" Past Medalists

External links

* [http://www.velo-feminin.com/ Official website]