Sporting Witness
Sporting Witness
First women's Tour de France
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July 29, 2023
10 minutes
Available for over a year
To mark the final stages of this year's Tour de Femmes, Marianne Martin talks about winning the first official women’s Tour De France in 1984. She rode the 1,080km course in 29 hours, 39 minutes, and two seconds over 18 days – a remarkable feat considering she’d had anaemia earlier in that year.
The 1984 men’s champion Laurent Fignon won prizes valued at more than $225,000. Marianne Martin was awarded a trophy and $1,000.
This is a Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service is presented by Ashley Byrne.
(Photo: Marianne Martin with her team mates in Paris after winning the Tour de France in 1984. Credit: Graham Watson)