Starting in 1955, various cycling races for women have been held similar to the Tour de France for men, using different names (for example, Tour de France Féminin and Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale) and to a shorter length, unlike the three-weeks races for the men.

[4][9] Following substantial media coverage, and a petition signed by over 100,000 people,[10] ASO launched La Course by Le Tour de France in 2014.

[12] Between 2014 and 2021, La Course was held in a variety of locations across France in conjunction with the men's race, with ASO arguing that this was the "best way to shine a light on female cycling".

[11][13] La Course was initially praised for the exposure gained by sharing the stage with the Tour de France, with sponsors welcoming the live TV coverage and visibility of taking place alongside the men's race.

[13][14][15] However, La Course was criticised by campaigners and riders for being overshadowed by the men's Tour de France, not having enough stages, and not being challenging enough for the professional peloton.

[16][17] Pushing back at criticism, ASO noted that they were unable to stage a men's and women's Tour de France simultaneously due to logistical issues,[12] and that races must be financially sustainable.

[21] The reaction from the professional women's peloton was overwhelmingly positive,[22] with Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen stating "it's long been a dream for many of us to compete in a women's Tour de France",[23] and Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig commenting "this is a day that we’ve waited for, for a long time".

[35] The restrictions were criticised by the professional peloton and campaigners as "sexist", as the UCI does not allow women to compete over identical distances as men.

[36] Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini, Ashleigh Moolman, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Marta Cavalli and Katarzyna Niewiadoma were all named as pre-race favourites for the general classification (GC), which determines the overall winner of the race.

[26] Media coverage prior to the event was positive,[41] calling the race a "historic moment for women's cycling"[42] and "game changing".

[44] ASO noted that the prize fund was larger than men's races of similar length – such as the Critérium du Dauphiné.

[44] Riders from The Cyclists' Alliance – a union representing the female peloton – stated that live TV coverage for races was their biggest priority, rather than prize money.

[46][47] Stage 2 to Provins was marred by multiple crashes in the final 30 kilometres (19 mi), with Cavalli (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) having to abandon the race as a result.

Van Vleuten (Movistar Team) also came close to abandoning the race after suffering from a stomach infection and being unable to eat or drink.

On the final steep climb to the finish, Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) outsprinted the group to take the stage while Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg) took the lead in the QoM classification.

Multiple riders including Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM), Longo Borghini (Trek–Segafredo), Uttrup Ludwig and van Vleuten suffered punctures and other issues but most of them were able to rejoin the peloton and not lose time.

[54][55] With around 25 kilometres (16 mi) remaining, Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) attacked, riding solo to win the stage by nearly a minute and a half.

[29] On the descent of the penultimate climb, a small group including Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) crashed, but everyone involved ultimately finished the stage.

Vos outsprinted Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) and Kopecky to win her second stage of the race.

On Petit Ballon, the first climb of the day, Vos could not keep with the pace of the GC contenders, and fell behind with a group of slower riders.

[63] On the Petit Ballon, with 86 kilometres (53 mi) remaining, van Vleuten broke away from the peloton with only Demi Vollering (SD Worx) able to match her pace.

A kilometre (0.6 mi) from the top of the Col du Platzerwasel, the second climb of the day, van Vleuten accelerated ahead of Vollering.

On the first climb, no break had been established and Vollering was able to take maximum points to extend her lead in the QoM classification.

With 57 kilometres (35 mi) to go, van Vleuten suffered an issue with her bike and SD Worx and Trek–Segafredo increased the pace of the peloton.

Van Vleuten rejoined the peloton with around 45 kilometres (28 mi) left in the stage at the foot of the second climb, the Ballon d'Alsace.

[66] On the final climb to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, van Vleuten launched a solo attack from the peloton with 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) remaining.

[67][68] Van Vleuten (Movistar Team) won the Tour de France Femmes with an advantage over Vollering (SD Worx) of almost four minutes.

[67][68] Niewiadoma took third place overall, six and a half minutes behind van Vleuten, maintaining her position by finishing in the top five on both mountain stages.

[72] Other riders praised the event, with Niewiadoma noting it was one of the most difficult races that the women's peloton has taken part in,[73] and fourth-placed Juliette Labous (Team DSM) explained that she was surprised by the large crowds, stating "I didn't expect this much, I knew there would be a lot of people but I didn't expect as much as this.

[96] France Télévisions commented that the audience figures were a good surprise, and that they were "a very solid basis on which the world of cycling will be able to build".