40 years on the road: From the past to the future

World Champion Marion Clignet and the Original Female Cyclists Continue the Story of Women’s Cycling.

A group of women cyclists from the U.S. and Europe—including World Champion and Olympic medalist Marion Clignet, alongside passionate lifelong cyclists—came together for a special reunion at this year’s Tour de France Femmes. Organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the event celebrated the legacy and impact of women’s cycling on a global stage.

The group, known as the “Tour de France Féminin originals on tour,” included eight women who competed in the 1984-1989 Tour de France Féminin, an earlier version of a women’s Tour de France. Over the past 40 years, each of them has followed her own path in life, shaped by both competitive racing and personal experiences. This year, they returned to the Tour to continue the story of female cyclists.

In the 1980s, the world of cycling was a challenging environment for women, with societal norms and traditional roles often standing in the way of female participation in professional sport. Cycling was considered a sport that did not align with conventional ideas of femininity.

“By riding portions of the 2024 Tour de Femmes Avec Zwift course, we celebrated four decades of pioneering women’s bicycle racing at the highest levels,” said Nan Deardorff-McClain, who raced in the 1987 Tour de France Féminin for the USA and now lives in the Netherlands.

Some of “The Originals” from the 1980s Tour de France Féminin who joined former racer and event organizer Deardorff-McClain included Marilyn (Wells) Trout (Canada), Inga Thompson (USA), Marion Clignet (France), and Patty Peoples (USA). In addition to the pioneering women of the 1980s, the 2024 group also invited women cyclists who have successfully advocated for change in women’s cycling, including U.S.- based filmmaker Jill Yesko and activist/author Kathryn Bertine.

“The women who rode the Tour de France Féminin in the 1980s set the stage for today’s riders and are inspirations for all female athletes,” said Jill Yesko, director of the documentary Uphill Climb: The Women Who Conquered the Impossible Race.

“Being able to ride with the women of the 1980s while we cheered for the women of 2024 was a true gift, and a salute to progress in women’s cycling over recent decades,” said Kathryn Bertine, who was instrumental in the fight for women’s re-inclusion in the Tour de France. The one-day race, La Course by Tour de France, was held from 2014 to 2021 before becoming the eight-day Tour de France Femmes in 2022.

The “Tour de France Féminin Originals on Tour” were outfitted by Jelenew, a high-performance women’s cycling and sports apparel brand co-founded by World Champion and Olympic medalist Marion Clignet of France, who also played a critical role in the return of women to the Tour de France.

This story is part of Nafent Magazine volume 12. Read the full story in our digital or paper magazine. Go to our webshop to get yours.