Controversies over women's rights to cycle at all and what kinds of riding they should attempt, and the behavior and apparel that they should adopt when riding, were, in France, very similar to the debates that arose in Britain, the US and other European countries. In the beginning, cycling was a leisured-class activity, to be carried out in a slow-paced “vitesse bourgoise”. For women, the advice for whether they should or not ride bicycles was contradictory, however, it was clear that they were only to undertake leisure cycling and always as a group activity. Cycling as a sport could not have developed without the support of clubs and newspapers who were in charge of the publicity of races such as the first races in Paris in 1869, the Paris-Rouen or the Tour the France, inaugurated in 1903. Also, it is worth mentioning that amidst world wars and international movement, the climate for national pride and international competition was set. Although the first women’s race dates back to 1869, in Bordeaux, for decades women were encouraged to ride with moderation and so, female cycling races were left to “less respectable” women such as courtesans. Today, the lack of support and recognition of the women’s version of the Tour de France as a legitimate sport, evidences how discussions and debates about women and endurance sport have continued for more than one hundred years. Moreover, they have summarized much of France's enduringly macho attitudes towards femininity.