One year after the successful return of the 2022 Women's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, title sponsor Zwift has released viewer data revealing that the race has reached a cumulative 23.2 million live viewers.

"To say we are thrilled with the response to the inaugural Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift is an understatement. As a longtime supporter of women's cycling, I knew the race would be extraordinary, but the millions of fans have been a game changer," said Kate Veronneau, Zwift's Director of Women's Strategy.

The 2022 Tour de France Femme ratings come from a report compiled by Nielson Sports in partnership with Zwift to understand the impact of the inaugural race on women's cycling worldwide. The report aimed to use data to analyze positive growth and discussed how women's cycling participation could be increased.

The statistic of 23.2 million viewers is based on live viewership in eight major markets. However, the report also found that an average of 2.9 million people tuned in to watch each stage of the eight-day race.

While the report focused primarily on broadcast ratings, it also delved into data across written coverage, audience profiles, and social media.

"This is an important milestone given that this is the first time the event has been held in 33 years. Of the eight major markets analyzed, France was by far the largest audience. Germany and Spain rounded out the top three," Zwift stated in its report.

Following the event, which was held for the first time in 33 years and won by Annemiek van Fruten (Movistar), Tour de France Femme officials reported that there were approximately 20 million viewers in France alone during the eight-day race, with France 2 and France 3 averaging an The stages were watched by an average of 2.25 million viewers, for a 26.4% audience share.

Last year, the race was broadcast for two hours each day, exceeding the minimum 45 minutes of coverage mandated by the Women's World Tour. It was also the quality of coverage that led the standard for women's cycling. Name recognition was a key factor in the success of the event, with long-term backing and broadcast in 190 countries.

Cycling News' coverage of the race recorded 700,000 users involved in women's content, with a total of 2.3 million page views.

"This is just the beginning. Our job as an industry, fans, sports media, and riders is to keep this flame burning bright. We need to work together to ensure that this big moment becomes a spark of action and investment at all levels of the sport," Veronneau said.

"We will continue to use our platform to shine a light on this superstar, while at the same time creating space and content for women cyclists around the world to develop their own communities and pursue their dreams. That is what 'Watch the Femmes' is all about. When we watch Watch the Femmes, we pave the way for a brighter future for all women cyclists."

Organizer ASO is embarking on the second edition of the Tour de France Avec Zwift, which will start in Clermont-Ferrand on July 23 and finish in Pau on July 30.

The route for the 2023 Tour de France Femme was announced last October, introducing the iconic Tourmalet summit and a finale time trial in Pau.

Fans will once again be able to watch the race live around the world, and Cycling News has compiled a list of ways to watch the 2023 Tour de France Femme.

Join Cycling News' Zwift live coverage of the 2023 Tour de France Femme and check back daily for race reports, results, photo galleries, news, and race analysis.

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