Across the West, it’s pretty normal for people to find olympic and major sporting events available to both men and women—with some female competitions like the UFC Women’s divisions, the tennis “Grand Slams” or the FIFA Women’s World Cup attracting just as much interest as their male equivalent.

But for female cyclists, the most prestigious of all competitions—the Tour de France—has for 100 years been open only to male competitors, with the only female equivalent, the “course d’un jour” being a much more modest event.

This year, however, as the actual Tour de France begins in Nice, France, after having been delayed due to Covid-19, a virtual version that will allow female competitors to ride a stationary bike on a Virtual Reality route of the actual race, will have just concluded under shadows of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.