How it unfolded
Starting from the Champs-Elysees in Paris on 24 July 2022, the eight-day Tour de France Femmes was organiser ASO's direct revival of a women's Tour that had survived only in reduced forms since the 1980s. Early on, van Vleuten struggled with a stomach illness while Marianne Vos held the yellow jersey and won two stages. The turning point came on stage 7 into the Vosges Mountains: van Vleuten rode away alone with more than 60 km still to race, soloing all the way to Le Markstein to gain 3 minutes 26 seconds and take the yellow jersey. On the final day, finishing atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles, she won the stage again to close out the race 3 minutes 48 seconds clear overall. The win completed a treble for the year alongside the Giro d'Italia Donne and the world road title she also won in 2022.
Why it still matters
This was the moment women's professional cycling's structure changed. Live coverage on French public television and roadside crowds far exceeded organiser expectations, drawing in sponsorship money, and combined with the UCI's Women's WorldTour minimum-salary rule, it grew the number of riders who could race without a second job. Women's Monuments and Grand Tours have since taken their place on the calendar one after another.