Little Riders
Introducing children to cycling
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift fully adheres to the idea that "what matters is not just what kind of planet we leave to our children, but also what kind of children we leave to our planet". It does not take a genius to work out that children who can ride bicycles and enjoy doing so are a lovely gift to our planet.
Since the launch of Riding in the Future in 2017, more of 500,000 children have already been introduced to cycling in the wheel of the Tour.
Little Riders initiative, the Tour has strengthened this commitment since 2021 with the goal of introducing 30,000 children aged 6 to 12 to cycling each year, with the educational content of the "Savoir Rouler à Vélo" program. We aim to reach this goal through three approaches:
- Before the Tour, organizing cycling mobility learning session in host-cities’ schools
- the French Cycling Federation, which introduces 10,000 children to cycling as a means of transport every year thanks to the support provided by the Tour de France within the framework of a sponsorship agreement; and
- directly in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, at the Ateliers du Tour in the Fan Zone set up every day in the town hosting the start of the stage. More than 7,000 children have been introduced to cycling since 2022.
The activities include:
- learning how to ride
- 2 learning tracks (bikes and balance bikes)
- how to repair bicycles
- learning safety tips and the rules of the road with the French Road Safety Authority.
Finally, in 2024 the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will be donating 330 balance bikes to preschools in its host towns and cities so that as many children as possible can use the best option for learning to keep their balance on two wheels and later ensure a seamless transition to regular bicycles.