Cycling: the social network Strava joins forces with the men's and women's Tour de France

A revolution, not really.

Rather the formalization of a collaboration that has everything obvious.

The famous Strava application, the sports social network which claims nearly 99 million subscribers worldwide, and the organizers of the Tour de France have just signed a partnership for the next three editions.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, 94 days before the start in Copenhagen (Denmark), on July 1.

🤩 @Strava becomes an official partner of @LeTour and @leTourFemmes

📲 The Tour will come to life on the Strava app with a content hub, where fans can immerse themselves to find a source of motivation for their future outings!

pic.twitter.com/oobBhU80lR

— The Tour de France Women with Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) March 29, 2022

In order to appeal to a new audience, and to reach the youngest in particular, ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) has for several years associated its image with that of Strava, which brings together nearly three quarters of the peloton.

Some new paths appearing on the route have also been unearthed thanks to the curiosity of users.

This year, discussions have been held to forge a stronger bond.

A channel dedicated to the biggest race in the world, bringing together the publications of the athletes, will be created.

Company boss Michael Horvath says he is proud to "bring together the biggest sporting community in the world and the most iconic sporting event".

Read alsoFrom the Chevreuse valley to Fontainebleau, these cyclists who no longer ride without the Strava app

Routes taken, geolocation function, photos, videos, performance data detailed by “segments”… As on other social networks, the principle is to share your “experience”.

It gives Sunday sports enthusiasts the chance to meet other cycling or running enthusiasts.

More pragmatically, it also allows professionals to gain visibility, whether you are a star or a hard-working team member who wants to show behind the scenes of your daily life.

“The stage winners get all the attention but those behind in the peloton also have a story to tell (…) They will be able to show what a day on the road looks like apart from the result, and tell the stage of their points of view," continues Michael Horvath.

Rejuvenate the audience of the men's Tour and develop the audience of the women's Tour

Of course, each athlete will have the opportunity to communicate or not.

In 2021, 72% of Tour de France cyclists had uploaded their efforts and, for some, their power figures on the pedals (a guarantee of transparency in the face of suspicions of doping, according to some).

Among the latest catches, the Slovenian king Tadej Pogacar, who still seems untouchable this season.

Note all the same the absence of leaders like Julian Alaphilippe, Peter Sagan or Mark Cavendish.

The brand new women's Tour de France and the Etape du Tour - a day reserved for amateurs - are also affected by this collaboration.

“It is exciting to see Strava supporting women's cycling with this partnership, as it is the platform at the heart of professional and amateur cycling.

I use it every day to follow my training throughout the year, it is also my reference to follow what my teammates and my competitors are doing", welcomes Audrey Cordon-Ragot, French road champion in 2020 (Trek-Segafredo) in a press release.

This kind of initiative can serve as a lever to develop enthusiasm around women's cycling, which lacks headliners.

Rejuvenating the audience and expanding it, quite a challenge for Amaury Sport Organization (ASO).

However, there is no question of accepting everything and competing with the television stations that hold the broadcasting rights.

Last year, a small band of Dutch friends paid the price.

Despite the support of several teams, they had been ordered to remove from Youtube the unusual and viral challenges they organized during the races with riders from the peloton.