Bike racing is well known for inspiring fans to get on their bikes, and never was that more apparent than during the recent Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, according to the latest numbers released by Strava.
Women’s cycling enjoyed a significant boost, not just in France but across the world, as riders saddled up and sought to emulate their heroes.
In the race’s host nation alone, women logged 15% more rides on the training platform during the week of the race versus the week before, with 28% more distance. But the global stats were the most eye-opening. Across the world, the number of women logging their longest ever ride jumped by 30%, while a full 60% more women logged their first 100km-plus activity. On top of that, 41% logged their first-ever ride 50km or more. Three-quarters of all these rides were solo, too. “Women chasing distance on their own terms,” as Strava put it in its press release.
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Female cyclists also seemed to be inspired by the race’s ascent of Mont Ventoux on stage seven, with a huge increase in attempts to conquer the Giant of Provence by women compared to the previous week – 849% to be exact – helped by the second edition of L’Étape du Tour de France Femmes heading up it, no doubt.
Strava also released statistics from the pro peloton itself, including 994 QoM titles, 84 of which were claimed by eventual winner Demi Vollering alone. The pros also completed a total 133 Everests across the course of the nine stages, or 1.18 million metres of climbing. Average speed across all the stages was 30.2kph (18.76mph) and, Strava revealed, the collective calorie burn of 1.4 million was enough to cover around 12,400 cappuccinos. We’ll drink to that.
These are just the latest impressive statistics from a race that has trod new ground across the board, with a record TV audience share in France of 32.9%, and the longest ever parcours at 1,175km (730 miles).
Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) won by 1:18 after seizing the yellow jersey on stage eight to Nice after a thrilling battle between herself, Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM), and defending it the following day.
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