Victoria Pendleton

Yes, people always cite the Grande Boucle - but how many normal people have heard of that? And it gets zero mainstream media coverage. I didn't even know Emma Pooley had won it! Honestly, a British woman wins the equivalent of the TdF and nobody bothers to report it - a British man comes fourth in le Tour and we're all falling over ourselves. (It was the same back when Nicole Cooke won it.)

**And why couldn't women ride the same course as the men, on the same days, perhaps starting an hour later or something? Would that cause any logistical problems? **(Genuine question - I haven't really thought this through before.)

Good points, I didn't see a single article about Emma's win either.
To be fair though even Brad and Cav only get tiny articles written in the mainstream papers.

Women could ride in the men's time trial stages, with a handicap on the times to make it equal, but in flat stages or mountains it wouldn't work.

Sometimes in a stage race if there is a very strong crosswind (like there was in this years tdf) it makes chasing a breakaway group impossible, so if you had a peloton of women a few minutes up the road they would win by default.

On the other hand, a very strong headwind would play into the mens groups' hands and they could pull the women back well before the finish.

A bit unfair in both situations.