Strava and Tour de France announce three-year partnership

Published March 29, 2022 08:26AM

In a press statement, Strava said it will develop new and unique experiences for its global community of more than 99 million users for each stage of the men’s and women’s events.

“We are thrilled to make a long-term commitment to the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, and provide our global community of athletes with a new way to follow the action of the iconic races inside of Strava. We are committed to promoting equity and inclusion in sport and strongly believe in and support the future of women’s cycling,” said Strava CEO and co-founder Michael Horvath.

Strava announced plans to create a content hub dedicated to telling the stories of riders through their daily activity uploads and photos. The 2022 Tour de France runs July 1-24, and the inaugural Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift is on the calendar for July 24-31.

Strava and the Tour have previously collaborated, and the Tour has previously used Strava to inform the route creation process, through analysis of millions of public Strava activity uploads from users posting rides in France.

Many pros upload their training and racing efforts. In 2021, 72 percent of the men’s pro peloton uploaded at least some race data to Strava.

“The Tour is the most-watched annual sporting event in the world, and three-quarters of the peloton shared their rides on Strava last year. This partnership and future events on Strava will let more riders, including the women’s peloton, engage with cyclists around the world in new ways and inspire cyclists regardless of gender, age, or where they live,” Horvath added.

“We are very glad and honored to partner with Strava, the largest sports community in the world. Strava will help cycling fans get closer to the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift and discover new routes for future challenges inspired by the world’s greatest riders,” said ASO CEO Yann le Moënner. “We are very glad and honoured to partner with Strava, the largest sports community in the world.”

What riders say about the partnership

“I started riding before Strava existed, then joined in 2013 and it slowly just grew into something I was kind of obsessed with. To mix up my training, I find new segments in areas where I want to go, and use them as motivation to push myself for a spot on the leaderboard,” said U.S. national champion Lauren Stephens of team EF Education-TIBCO-SVB.

“We’re continuing to see more equality in the support and atmosphere that’s being developed around women’s racing and I think it is going in the right direction. For the last several years we’ve had single day events but now we’re getting a full stage race with the iconic Champs-Élysées experience.

“Sponsor support from companies like Strava makes this possible, and improves the race for the riders. I feel more respected and validated, and that brings more pressure, in a good way, to perform and make the racing exciting for the people and the brands that are supporting you and creating more opportunity. This competition is my primary race focus for the season and the centerpiece of my race calendar,” Stephens added.

“It is exciting to see Strava supporting women’s cycling with this partnership because it is the platform at the heart of professional and amateur cycling. I use Strava every single day to follow my training throughout the year, and Strava is also my reference to follow what my teammates and competitors are doing,” said six-time French national champion Audrey Cordon Ragot who races for Trek-Segafredo Women.

“Strava provides a unique and authentic way to share my daily life as a professional and it is where I connect with fans who follow me and support me. Being able to wear a distinctive jersey at the Tour is a dream that will become a reality for some of us, and hopefully for me!” added Cordon Ragot.

Strava’s partnership with the Tour de France and Tour de France Avec Zwift also includes support for L’Étape du Tour de France, a one-day, mass-start event on July 10 which should see more than 16,000 participants ride a tour stage that will be later raced by the pros in this year’s Tour.