The organizers of the Tour de France and La Course have told the press that they plan to bring back a women's stage race in the near future.In an interview with Le Telegramme, ASO's Christian Prudhomme said they are working on a women's multi-day race that made main stream news last year. He said.

"We are seriously working on a project for a women's stage race. Prudhomme, general director of the Tour de France, told Le Telegramme (opens in new tab) on Wednesday.

"We want to talk to everyone, not just 50% of the population."

ASO said last year that it was considering a women's stage race equivalent to a major men's Grand Tour, but did not say it would be a women's Tour de France.

Instead, the ASO said that it was "logistically impossible" to host both men and women at the same time.

Prudhomme maintained his stance, confirming that a women's multi-day race would not be held at the same time as the men's Tour de France.

"Before the men's race, that is no longer possible," Prudhomme said. 'The Tour de France has grown up and society is not exactly the same.' The Tour de France has grown up. It will be during the summer, not during the Tour de France."

The ASO also announced last year that it was launching a special working group aimed at supporting the development of women's cycling, in addition to looking into launching a women's stage race.

Some members of the cycling community have suggested that instead of holding women's stage races in the Tour de France in the same way as the men's, a shorter stage race in conjunction with a race such as Paris-Nice or the Criterium du Dauphiné could be considered

The first women's race was held in the same place.

The first women's Tour de France was held in the 1950s, but only once; ASO hosted the women's Tour de France from 1984 to 1989; in the 1990s and early 2000s, other versions of this French stage race were held In the 1990s and early 2000s, other versions of this French stage race were held, but it officially ended in 2009. The ASO then launched the one-day La Course by Le Tour de France in 2014 after petitioning the ASO to include a women's race.

The seventh edition of the women's World Tour event, La Course, is currently scheduled to coincide with the final stage of the men's Tour de France in Paris on July 19 this year. The women's race will consist of 13 laps of the Champs-Elysées for a total of 90 km.

Some have been disappointed that the race is neither multi-day nor sufficiently challenging. World champion Annemiek van Fruten (Mitchelton-Scott) described this year's race as little more than a criterium.

However, the inaugural La Course will return to its roots as it was established by ASO as a circuit race on the Champs Elysees. In this sprinter-friendly format, the first three events were won by Marianne Vos, Anna van der Breggen, and Chloe Hosking.

Then in 2017, the race moved to a two-day attempt, with a summit finish at the Col d'Isere on the same day as stage 18 of the men's race, followed by a handicapped time trial in Marseille. Van Vleuten took both stages and the overall win.

In 2018, organizers reverted the race to a one-day, mountain road race between Annecy and Le Grand-Bornand. Van Vleuten also won the event, which was held in conjunction with stage 10 of the Tour de France.

Last year, it was also a one-day event held at the Circuit de Pau. The 27 km circuit was the same one used by the men in the time trial of stage 13 of the Tour de France. Vos won his second title on La Course.