(02:37) Getting recognized as a pro rider in public

(06:52) Inequities between women and men in pro cycling

(14:58) Highlights from the Tour de Femmes Avec Zwift

(17:41) Rider's perspective of the Tour de Femmes Avec Zwift


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(02:37) Getting recognized as a pro rider in public(06:52) Inequities between women and men in pro cycling(14:58) Highlights from the Tour de Femmes Avec Zwift(17:41) Rider's perspective of the Tour de Femmes Avec Zwift Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On July, 1984, three dozen pioneering women stood on the starting line in France to contest the first-ever Tour de France Féminin, the world’s first Tour de France for women. These courageous women rode versions of the same leg-breaking courses on the same day as the men, climbing some of the highest mountains in Europe, and descending at speeds of over 50 miles per hour to the cheers of fans who weren’t expecting to see women in the Tour de France.

Join Jill Yesko, director of the documentary Uphill Climb: The Women Who Conquered the Impossible Race, as she speaks to the women who rode the world’s toughest cycling race, as well as some of the most influential women cyclists from the 1980s and today. Through these conversations, this series shines a light on how these amazing women led the way in shaping women’s professional cycling.

Uphill Climb: The Women Who Conquered the Impossible Race

Kate Veronneau was one of the catalysts behind the debut of the 2022 Tour de Femmes Avec  Zwift.  As Director of Strategy at Zwift, Veronneau wants more women in cycling, whether as racers or as recreational riders. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio has been a professional rider since 2010. In 2020 she won the first edition of the Cycling Esports World Championships organized by Zwift.

Leaders of the Pack

(04:41 ) Winning the National championship on bean burritos and no sleep

(08:05) Forced to make her own jersey because the team couldn't afford them 

(14:11) 14 people stuffed into a car and other hardships at the Tour de France Féminin

(18:13) Eating wild board with its quills as your post-race meal


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(04:41 ) Winning the National championship on bean burritos and no sleep(08:05) Forced to make her own jersey because the team couldn't afford them (14:11) 14 people stuffed into a car and other hardships at the Tour de France Féminin(18:13) Eating wild board with its quills as your post-race meal Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The women who raced the Tour de France Féminin faced many obstacles including lack of equipment, bad food, and misogyny from the male Tour de France riders who didn’t believe women should be in their race. While the men had mechanics, extra bicycles and were paid for their efforts, the women were left to fend for themselves. Retired racer Janelle Parks Graham recounts the hurdles she faced as a woman cyclist, including having to sew her own jersey, to being served wild boar for dinner--quills and all.

Bumps in the Roads

(02:59) How Marianne Martin first found out about the Tour de France Féminin 

(05:21) The surreal feeling of being the first women to race in the Tour de France

(10:47) Best memories from the Tour de France

(12:43)  Life lessons from the Tour de France

(20:21)  Marianne Martin on the Tour de Femmes Avec Zwift


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(02:59) How Marianne Martin first found out about the Tour de France Féminin (05:21) The surreal feeling of being the first women to race in the Tour de France(10:47) Best memories from the Tour de France(12:43)  Life lessons from the Tour de France(20:21)  Marianne Martin on the Tour de Femmes Avec Zwift Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marianne Martin holds the distinction of being the first American — man or woman—to win the Tour de France. Her epic victory at the 1984 debut of the Tour de France Féminin proved that women could not just survive the rigors of the Tour de France, but could compete in cycling’s toughest race. Martin talks about what it was like to win the Tour de France, and what it means, almost 40 years later, for the return of a Tour de France for women.

She Wore the Yellow Jersey

(04:30) How Title IX boosted women's sports--but not cycling

(07:07) The 1980's were a "golden era" for cycling in the US

(11:30) Coping with the pressure of racing and being #1

(16:53) The Carpenter-Phinney family legacy continues


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(04:30) How Title IX boosted women's sports--but not cycling(07:07) The 1980's were a "golden era" for cycling in the US(11:30) Coping with the pressure of racing and being #1(16:53) The Carpenter-Phinney family legacy continues Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Connie Carpenter-Phinney is the most decorated cyclists of the 1980s. In 1984 she became first woman to win a cycling Olympic gold medal at the inaugural road race, and her string of victories in the US and Europe inspired a generation of women athletes. Married to professional cyclist Davis Phinney, she is the co-founder  of the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s.

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Uphill Climb: The Women Who Conquered the Impossible Race

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