If you followed the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift this year, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Zwift ran the whole show. The virtual cycling platform's bright orange and pink branding was everywhere, and the brand's squirrel eclipsed the lion as the race's mascot. Stage winners were handed a plush version of this furry icon, while a life-sized version mingled with the crowd, distributing caps and posing for pictures with fans.
But Zwift's impact goes far beyond mascots, branding and adding its name to the official race title. Since coming on board as the presenting sponsor in 2022, the company has been a driving force behind the event’s revival. Its financial backing and four-year guarantee presented the race organisers, the A.S.O, stability and time to establish the event and drum up commercial interest for its continuation — a feat previous renditions of a women's Tour de France all failed to do.
