Eight years after winning the inaugural La Course, Marianne Vos returns to the Champs-Elysées in search of her first yellow jersey-wearing victory in the reborn women's Tour de France (now the Tour de France Fam Avec Zwift).

The victory would mark a special achievement in her career, a closure of a kind of circle, as she helped make the women's Tour de France a historic moment.

"The 2014 one-day race was my first step into this Tour de France. I think everyone is excited about it. Women's cycling has grown a lot in the last 10 years. To organize a race like this, you need time to grow and prepare everything. We need time to grow and get everything ready to host a race like this.

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La Course was created in 2014 in response to a petition to ASO for a women's Tour de France. Vos was one of four women, along with Catherine Bertine, Emma Pooley, and Chrissie Wellington, who led the petition for Le Tour d'Entier, which collected 97,307 signatures.

The event began as a one-day race, with some editions offering multiple stages. While still popular, it was controversial because ASO had not fulfilled its promise to grow the event into a full-fledged women's Tour de France.

Eight years later, La Course came to be seen as a stepping stone to ASO's new and much-anticipated Tour de France Femme.

"I always remember 10 years ago when we discussed the women's Tour de France with professional women racers and came up with La Course by Le Tour," said Christian Prudhomme, the Tour de France's race director. [Marianne Vos is] a wonderful woman and a great ambassador. This is something I kept in mind throughout the planning process."

"She is a great ambassador for the Tour de France.

ASO has put together a powerful media package that will be broadcast live worldwide for two and a half hours on all eight stages. The event will begin at the Eiffel Tower with a circuit race on the Champs-Elysées Boulevard on July 24 and end at the top of La Planche des Belle Filles on July 31.

The importance of this race and its potential impact on the advancement of women's cycling cannot be underestimated.

"The Tour de France is bigger than sport. It will have a huge impact all over the world. It will have an impact on the fans, and the possibility of showing women's cycling around the world will make a difference. It has already made a difference since La Course and we have seen this covered extensively. We have also found that the media and fans are very excited about us racing here since we received the news that the Tour de France would be held for eight days."

From 1984 to 1989, Marianne Martin, Maria Canins, and Jeannie Longo won the yellow jersey.

Asked why it has taken so long to welcome the women's peloton back to the Tour de France, 33 years after the last stage race and eight years after the first La Course, Vos said, "It's not easy. Of course you could say it took too long, but I'm happy to be here."

Vos' father Henk has followed her illustrious career with every pedal stroke, every bike race, every victory. He has been at the Tour de France femme, cheering on his daughter's goal of winning the opening stage on the Champs-Elysées on Sunday. In an interview with Cycling News, Henk recalled his daughter's victory in the first La Course in 2014 and how far the sport has come.

"Women's cycling has grown and it's great to watch and be a part of it. Henk keeps Voss's cycling memorabilia, including her winning jersey, trophies, and medals, in a barn on the family's property, which is used as a museum.

Asked what he thinks about Vos winning her first yellow jersey on Sunday, he replied, "First, she has to win. Most of the time, when Marianne starts a race, she is the favorite to win. Now, it is possible for her to win and wear yellow. If that happens, there are no words. Every time she wins, it is something special."

Vos is poised to give her best performance on Sunday, but even if she doesn't win, the chance to compete in the Tour de France will be a memorable moment in itself for her and the other 143 women.

"It's special to be back here now and to be able to compete fully in the Tour de France, but the moment I won my first La Course was a step. The first La Course took place on the Champs-Elysées, and I remember that moment well. And now the Tour de France is in full swing. I'm looking forward to it."