{"id":720631,"date":"2026-07-31T09:15:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T09:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/720631\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T09:15:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T09:15:14","slug":"we-wont-go-from-nine-days-to-21-overnight-race-director-marion-rousse-on-the-rapid-rise-of-the-tour-de-france-femmes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/720631\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We won’t go from nine days to 21 overnight’ \u2013 race director Marion Rousse on the rapid rise of the Tour de France Femmes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marion Rousse<\/a> has worn almost every hat in the cycling world. Born in northern France, she learnt to ride at the Roubaix Velodrome and went on to become national road champion in 2012. Three years later, however, at age 24 and earning no income from the sport \u2013 she was working part-time at a town hall to make ends meet \u2013 she retired from racing to pursue a career in media.<\/p>\n

Today, Rousse is one of the most recognisable and influential figures in the sport. She\u2019s the voice of cycling on France\u2019s national broadcaster, France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions, and directs the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift<\/a>, having spearheaded the race’s highly anticipated revival since taking the reins in 2021.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI was always sure of one thing with this race,\u201d she said after the first edition in 2022. \u201cCreating a women\u2019s Tour de France wasn\u2019t a gift that we were giving to women\u2019s cycling. They simply deserve it and you see the proof each day.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ahead of this year’s race, we sat down with Rousse for a Q&A.<\/p>\n

How did you get into cycling? <\/p>\n

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I started when I was six years old. I come from a cycling family: my dad was a high-level amateur cyclist and my cousins, Laurent and David Lef\u00e8vre, were pros. As a little girl, I had a lot of energy, and I was bored of cheering on my dad from the side of the road. So I told my parents I wanted to ride myself. Initially, they weren\u2019t on board because they said it was really hard for boys and would be even harder for a girl. They also said I was too young. My mum ended up taking me secretly to sign up.<\/p>\n

You went on to turn pro. What has been the proudest moment of your career? <\/p>\n

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I had some amazing moments in my career, even if it was in a different era of women\u2019s cycling, when we weren\u2019t paid. Winning the French national road title [in 2012] in my home region in front of my family was nice. For me, sport is the best school for life: it teaches you about discipline and pushing your limits. My time as a pro helped me get where I am today in my career.<\/p>\n

Why did you decide to retire from racing at 24?<\/p>\n

Because I wasn\u2019t paid. After I became French champion, Eurosport asked me if I wanted to try commentating on bike races. I did that for two years, but I got the feeling I wasn\u2019t giving 100% in either of the two roles. At that time, I didn\u2019t see the future of women\u2019s cycling evolving so quickly, and since I wasn\u2019t paid, I figured commentary gave me a good opportunity to stay in the industry I loved while also receiving a salary.<\/p>\n

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\"Marion\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In 2021, you became the director of the Tour de France Femmes. How did that come about? <\/p>\n

I\u2019d heard on the grapevine that they were bringing back a women\u2019s Tour de France. Then, one day, [men\u2019s race director] Christian Prudhomme<\/a> called me and said, \u201cWe\u2019re going to start the Tour de France Femmes <\/a>avec Zwift. We need someone to organise it, and we want it to be you. We don\u2019t have any other names. Take some time to think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, when someone gives you an opportunity like that, you don\u2019t have any other choice than to accept. I knew that the evolution of women\u2019s cycling would come through the Tour de France; it was the only race that could get us recognised by the masses, bring in big audiences, and attract sponsors. I told Christian, \u201cOK, let\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did you have any doubts about taking on the role? <\/p>\n

Not really. Obviously it\u2019s a huge role, but I knew that with ASO behind it, it would be run by experts. I also already had experience that I knew would help me in the role: as a former high-level sportsperson who knew and had lived through the past struggle of women\u2019s cycling, I was probably more able to make the right decisions at the right moments than a man who had never been part of women\u2019s cycling. I also had my media hat, and in the first few years, the race needed someone who was known to the public. It was all quite natural.<\/p>\n

You also have your family life with Julian Alaphilippe, son Nino \u2013 and of course your dog Eliott. How do you find juggling everything? <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a unique lifestyle, and Nino\u2019s arrival shook up a lot of things \u2013 the arrival of a baby for anyone is a big thing. We had to find a balance. Being able to count on my parents helps me a lot with fitting in all my work trips. I\u2019m very lucky to have a little boy, five years old now, who is happy and understands the situation. And Eliott\u2019s great \u2013 he\u2019s so sociable, I don\u2019t even know if he knows I\u2019m his owner. He just adores everyone.<\/p>\n

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\"Marion\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Has the rapid growth of the Tour de France Femmes surprised you? <\/p>\n

The fact it\u2019s been this fast, yes. I was confident, because I trusted ASO and I knew that if they put the resources in to make it work, it would be a success. Last year, Christian Prudhomme was with me at the race \u2013 we did a few stages in the car together \u2013 and he said, \u201cMarion, I no longer see the difference [between the men\u2019s and women\u2019s Tours] in the number of people at the side of the roads.\u201d Our big hope was that people would no longer see a men\u2019s Tour and a women\u2019s Tour, but rather the Tour de France.<\/p>\n

Do you feel pressure to grow the race every year? <\/p>\n

No, but we put pressure on ourselves to come up with an exciting route and meet the high standards of the Tour de France<\/a>. It needs to be prestigious. The hardest gamble for us was making women\u2019s cycling a household topic for people, even though they didn\u2019t really get to see women\u2019s racing on TV.<\/p>\n

In the first edition, I went to speak to the wider public, and they struggled to name a single rider. Now I\u2019m really happy because everyone knows the riders; you see signs at the side of the road, and journalists talk about end-of-season transfers. We\u2019ve really overcome an obstacle and now people don\u2019t watch because it\u2019s men\u2019s or women\u2019s cycling, they watch for the performances.<\/p>\n

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\"Marion\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Charlie Forgham-Bailey\/SWpix.com)<\/p>\n

How do you respond to people who say the race should be three weeks long? <\/p>\n

You\u2019ve really got to put the race in its context: barely five years before [the race began], there were hardly any riders in the peloton who were paid. That\u2019s very recent. The Tour de France Femmes is there to accompany the evolution of women\u2019s cycling, and we can\u2019t evolve quicker than women\u2019s cycling itself. If we do, it\u2019ll implode.<\/p>\n

There was a Tour de France Femmes before us, the Grand Boucle F\u00e9minine, and it disappeared. It would be a catastrophe if, in eight years, we have to say, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t work, we grew too quickly, and it\u2019s all imploded.\u201d Yes, it\u2019s evolving quickly, but we\u2019re not at the same stature as the men\u2019s peloton yet. We also shouldn\u2019t put any barriers in our way, and one day there might be more stages, but we won\u2019t go from nine days to 21 overnight. It will need to be done little by little.<\/p>\n

The rider union The Cyclists\u2019 Alliance stated in May that women\u2019s cycling is in danger and \u201cbuilt on fragile foundations<\/a>\u201d. What\u2019s your sense of the health of the sport?<\/p>\n

Bad. We talk a lot about women\u2019s cycling, but it\u2019s the same outlook on the men\u2019s side, too. At the top of the pyramid, you have the men\u2019s and women\u2019s Tours, which are very solid and attract the best riders because we have the resources to organise at this level. But it\u2019s becoming difficult to organise bike races. At many levels, races are made possible by volunteers, and everything is expensive. The bottom of the pyramid is really fragile.<\/p>\n

What have been the defining moments of the first four editions of the Tour de France Femmes for you? <\/p>\n

There have been many. We\u2019ve been very lucky. We\u2019ve had four different winners and that\u2019s great. One of my favourite Tour de France Femmes memories was giving the start on the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es [in 2022]. I popped out the roof of the car, turned around, saw the peloton with the road behind them, and knew it was a big moment for women\u2019s cycling.<\/p>\n

Then there were the four seconds that separated Kasia Niewiadoma<\/a> and Demi Vollering<\/a> at the summit of Alpe d\u2019Huez [in 2024]. That was a crazy scenario. And Pauline [Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot]<\/a>\u2019s victory last year, the first Frenchwoman to win the yellow jersey. The number of people who came out to cheer her on at the roadside, the TV audiences we had on France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions \u2013 we peaked at eight million viewers, the second highest that year, including the men\u2019s race [the first was the Paris stage in Montmartre] \u2013 it\u2019s incredible. Pauline and I started around the same time and I know her well, so it was a nice quirk of fate.<\/p>\n

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\"Marion\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: A.S.O.\/Pauline Ballet)<\/p>\n

What does it mean to have a French winner? Have you noticed more home interest in the race? <\/p>\n

Oh yes. We\u2019ve waited so long to see a French man or woman take the yellow jersey again, and now it\u2019s been done. It brought together an enormous amount of people. Pauline already had a big fan base, with lots of people behind her, especially after [winning mountain bike gold at] the Paris Olympics<\/a>. For the development of women\u2019s cycling, it was a steal to have her return to the road.<\/p>\n

Do you think Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a> will be the first person to win the race twice? <\/p>\n

I hope so for her. People have been questioning Pauline\u2019s form a lot this year, saying she\u2019s not as strong as last year, but I think she\u2019s on the same trajectory \u2013 I\u2019m not too worried for her. She has this ability to fix an objective in the year, and arrive 100% ready. She\u2019ll be very strong. That said, it\u2019s true that Vollering<\/a> has taken a step up. I think the level has improved since last year. You\u2019ve also got riders like [Vuelta Femenina winner] Paula Blasi<\/a>, who will be interesting to follow, and Marlen Reusser<\/a>, with the time trial. I think it will be a bit closer than last year, but I still believe in Pauline.<\/p>\n

Quickfire round<\/p>\n

What was your first bike? It was a black Alan road bike with downtube shifters.<\/p>\n

Who was your childhood cycling hero? When I was really young, I loved Erik Zabel. Then when I grew up a bit I was a Tom Boonen fan.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite place to ride? Now, with my lower level, I like going to Calpe [in Spain]. It\u2019s a bit hilly, but you don\u2019t have to climb mountains. The south of France and the Alps are also great.<\/p>\n

Your favourite Monument? Paris-Roubaix<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Your favourite type of stage: mountains, sprint or breakaway? Not sprints, especially when I commentate on them for seven hours and nothing happens! High-mountain stages are always great. But as a commentator, you\u2019re always less disappointed with the Classics-y stages, where there\u2019s a fight from the beginning, compared to the high mountains. With those, you know you\u2019re going to have a good afternoon in front of the TV.<\/p>\n

Your favourite mountain in France? I love Mont Ventoux<\/a>. I\u2019ve climbed it five times.<\/p>\n

Your favourite sport after cycling? I really like following biathlon and athletics. But especially biathlon, because it\u2019s in the winter and there\u2019s no cycling to watch.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s the next star of women\u2019s cycling? C\u00e9lia Gery.<\/p>\n

What do you do to relax? I go through real on-off periods, so when I\u2019m at home, I\u2019m a real mother hen. I love going for walks or to restaurants with my son.<\/p>\n

This feature originally appeared in Cycling Weekly magazine on 30 July 2026. Subscribe now<\/a> and never miss an issue.<\/p>\n

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\nTour de France Femmes
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