I'd prefer if the people mingling with big wigs are male and women athletes who get the access because of athletic performance. The models, they can get their access to important people at fashion shows, and we'll all tune into the eye candy at fashion shows, or hollywoood, or elsewhere on instagram....I'd prefer is the athletic venue is for athletic performance. It was hard enough to coach teenage girls and keep them engaged in sport when they are being pulled a bunch of different ways. At least if there were better opportunities for women in sport where they can be on the podium for 21 evenings in July because of athletic performance vs modeling beside men athletes, I think it would send a nicer message to girls in sport.

Until the removal of the TdF podium girls, the message from the premium bike race was, "we don't really want women athletes here, but you're welcome if you want to compete for a modeling side gig slot". Now it's just, "OK this is a boy's only club for skinny bean poles who can TT or underweight midgets who can climb on bikes"....hopefully they can get to including some more women's racing on more days now. They did it in the 80's, 90's and 00's

I was in the Canadian Armed Forces when front line combat positions in the infantry and as pilots became open to women. That was in the 80's and remember Joan Benoit running 2:25 at the 84 Olympics, PNF going sub 9 at Kona and top 20 in 1989....so all of this really feels way behind some of those sporting advancements. Jeannie Longo and Maria Canins were fighting it out in the TdF Feminine back in 1985-89 swapping the top spot in the race all through those years. I believe the women's TdF has 15 stages in those years and they had a similar length women's Giro. At least the women's Giro is still there.

Dev