Female Cyclists Pedal For Gender Equality On Tour de France

DENVER (CBS4) – A Colorado native is leading a crusade to draw attention to the lack of opportunities for women in the sport of cycling. Recently, it involved riding the entire route of the Tour de France.

Women first raced in the premier cycling event in the 1950s, but they haven't had the opportunity to since the 1980s.

This year, a cycling team called the "InternationElles" set off to ride the entire 2,200 mile course in a 21 day span. Of the 10 women from three continents, Sara Beck, a University of Colorado graduate and environmental microbiology researcher, was the only American.

"We had days that were well over 200 km," Beck told CBS4 via Skype Monday. "So, long days, eight hours about a day. We had one day that was 10 hours of cycling."

The women, sponsored by Skoda UK, started the journey ahead of the men's race. They endured extreme temperatures and did numerous, gruesome mountain climbs.

At the end, there were no yellow jerseys like the men's race. Beck said that's the whole point of the ride.

"We're just arguing that it's unfair," she said. "Women need the same platform too. There are some phenomenal cyclists out there and we want to give them a platform too."

Due to illness, Beck finished 17 of the 21 stages. That didn't make the finish line any less special.

"They had bouquets of flowers for us, one of the teammate's parents made medals for us," Beck said. "So, there was a lot of fanfare, but there was certainly the sense of accomplishment, lots of tears. We were proud."

Beck said she'll be more proud if she inspired any young girls along the way.

"I want to show women and girls that we're capable of doing so much," She said. "And girls in particular, I want to show them that women can do these epic endurance challenges too."

The men's race was cut short because of a landslide so, technically, the "InternationElles" rode more miles in the end.

Beck said she's hopeful their message is being heard, and tells CBS4 the team has since learned the organizer of the Tour de France is considering a future women's race.