Le Loop launches Team Marie

In 2018, 110 years later, we’re encouraging as many women as possible to take on 2 or more stages of the Tour de France … because with our support and camaraderie plus a little bit of Marie’s determination, more women can share the amazing feeling of cycling multiple Tour de France stages.

How does it work?

We will be suggesting 2 different Team Marie ‘Loops’ for those who’d like as much supportive female company as possible (though there’s nothing to stop women choosing any Loop they like and several will overlap with the Team Marie suggestions). Our aim is not to exclude men (there are plenty of them who are just as worried as all our women) but more to encourage women towards a couple of Loops where they can support each other through the fun!

Riders can secure a guaranteed place on the Loop of their choice right now, by paying our £200 deposit. The Tour de France route will be announced on 17^th October, our Loop Options will be published one week later, including the Team Marie suggestions. Women have until 31^st October to tell us their chosen Loop.

The Team Marie suggestions will probably be 3, 4 or 5 stage options (though no promises until we’ve seen the route). This means the cost will be between £450 and £750 with a fundraising target of £1000 or £1200.

We have created a Team Marie Facebook Group for all women riding the tour – a place to make friends, swap training tips, compare tan lines, arrange get-togethers and social rides, and support each other towards their eventual goal – be it completing the whole Grand Loop, riding a couple of spiky mountain stages, or spending a week on the bike in glorious scenery and good company.

Emily Chappell – lead cyclist

Our lead cyclist, Emily is really excited about Team Marie:

“what I’m going to enjoy most about my new role is the opportunity to make a difference – to be living, breathing, riding proof that events like this belong to women as much as to men, and to encourage and support all the other women who sign up to ride a few stages, or even the whole thing”.