“There will be more stages”: UCI President David Lappartient backs Tour de France Femmes expansion but warns rest of calendar must catch up

UCI president David Lappartient believes the Tour de France Femmes is set to grow beyond its current nine-stage format, while stressing that the next priority should be live television coverage from start to finish. At the same time, he warned that the rest of the women's calendar must also develop.

Speaking during the opening days of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, Lappartient suggested that the race is likely to become longer in the coming years. While he did not specify how many stages could eventually be added - or when such a change might occur - he believes expansion is the natural next step for women's cycling's biggest race.

“I think it is important for this race to continue consolidating its popularity, and perhaps also to have live TV from start to finish,” Lappartient told Wielerflits.

He noted that not every stage is currently broadcast in full, but that might change in the future. “That is not the case for all stages. But we really see that the organiser, ASO, tries to improve every year and does something extra every year. So there will be more stages.”

Despite the Tour's rapid rise, Lappartient does not believe its growth has come too quickly. Instead, he sees the challenge as raising the standard of the rest of the women's calendar.

“I don't think the growth is going too fast. The only thing we need to watch out for is that the other races grow along too.”

He added: “The Tour de France Femmes may be at the highest level, but we must try to bring all the other races up to that level as well. That gap needs to be narrowed.”

Lappartient's comments echo concerns recently expressed by Fenix-Premier Tech team manager Philip Roodhooft. While acknowledging the remarkable progress of women's cycling, Roodhooft believes investment by teams is now increasing faster than the commercial opportunities available.

"The investments have become too large to be satisfied with the current calendar. Salaries are being paid that defy all logic. There is insufficient talent to fill all the spots, meaning good riders are being overpaid. Therefore, something must be done in return. However, there are still too many races that generate too little media attention to justify the investments in women's cycling,"Roodhooft said.

Since becoming UCI president in 2017, Lappartient has overseen a dramatic professionalisation of women's cycling. He highlighted the enormous increase in rider salaries as one of the clearest signs of progress.

“Salaries were very low. When I was first elected as UCI president in 2017, it was €8,000 a year. Now you can live on it.”

According to Lappartient, average earnings have increased by a factor of 10 to 12, allowing riders to pursue cycling as a genuine profession. “Female cyclists can earn a living from cycling, there are strong teams, they are doing well, they have all the infrastructure and all the support.”

He also pointed to growing television audiences as evidence that the sport's popularity continues to accelerate. “I really see that it is probably going even faster than expected, which is great.”