frtour1-9, Exercise 1: Women's racing timeline and the gap

Model answer (check the details):

Timeline:
- 1984 to 1989: Tour de France Féminin, run alongside the men's race.
- 1990s to 2000s: other women's stage races in France under different names, without the Tour's name or television.
- 2014 to 2021: La Course, a one-day race on a men's stage day, after a rider campaign.
- 2022 onward: Tour de France Femmes, a stage race of about a week, shown on television.

Reasons for the gap, and evidence:
1. Money: few sponsors and broadcasters were willing to back a women's race. Evidence: budgets and sponsors of the 1980s races, television contracts, comparisons with other women's sports.
2. Attitudes and governance: organisers and the cycling authority may have given low priority to women's racing. Evidence: statements, minutes of meetings, rule changes, and the account of riders and organisers.
3. Professional structure: with few professional contracts, the pool of riders and teams was small. Evidence: the number of women with professional contracts over time, and the history of the women's world series.

Care: the evidence is thinner than for the men's race, and several explanations may apply at once.