An important page in the history of women's cycling in Israel opened today (Sunday) in Paris, when the Israeli rider Rotem Gapinovich jumped into the biggest women's race in the world: the Tour de France.
"I am so excited to be a part of this history, to play the role of a trailblazer," said the 30-year-old rider from Maccabim-Reot, who competes in the uniform of the Swiss team Roland, whose main sponsor is the "Israel Premier Tech" team.
And here is more symbolism: a few hours after Rutam became the first Israeli in the Tour de France, the Israeli rider Guy Niv will finish the second Tour de France in his career.
It was Guy who made history as the first Israeli rider in the Tour, when he finished in Paris two years ago.
The Tour de France, in its women's edition, jumps for the first time after a long break as part of the process of the great awakening of the women's sport.
Israel has two female professional riders, Omer Shapira and Rotem Gafinovich, but Omer was not included in the composition of the American team EF for the Tour.
The women's column includes 8 sections, and the riders will cover a total distance of 1,100 km. They will also climb mountains, throughout France, to a total height of 13 km.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us