Team leaders advocate for longer Tour de France Femmes

The recent Tour de France Femmes, which lasted nine days this year, is considered a success by various stakeholders. Team leaders and former cyclist Tom Dumoulin, who is also the race director, have called for the event to be extended to two weeks. Dumoulin points out that the peloton and women's cycling as a whole are ready for this step.

Philip Roodhooft stated in a previous edition of Gazet van Antwerpen that the women’s cycling calendar needs to include more commercially interesting race days. He suggested that the Tour de France Femmes could benefit from a longer format.

There is broad support for the extension to a two-week Tour. Many experts and fans are questioning how a longer edition could impact the competitive structure and attractiveness of women's cycling.

The discussion about the extension is fueled by the positive experiences from this year. The nine stages have been seen as a step in the right direction, but there is a desire for more potential and challenges for the participants.

In the coming period, it will become clear whether steps will be taken to extend the Tour de France Femmes, and how the interested parties will further develop their ideas.