 |
| Award presenter for best young rider and podium girl American Laura Antoine, stage 7, July 2010 |
Contents
- Introduction
- Podium Girl Laura Antoine
- Videos
- Podium Girl Photos & Jersey Winners
- Love At the Tour?
- Scene from Bon Heur at Paris' Lido Cabaret
Introduction
The awards after every stage of Tour de France are presented by podium girls - each stunningly beautiful in her own right. The presentation takes place on - yes, a podium - and each jersey is sponsored by different company. Sponsorship is a big deal in the Tour and the entire tour and everything in it, even the black top of the roads, carry messages by sponsors.The Tour’s podium girls are selected by the race organizers from over 500 applicants every year and they also seem to love their jobs as evidenced by the interviews we hear on the videos on this page.
The podium girls do have other duties some of which include acting as hostesses at both the starting and finishing villages and answering questions at information booths.
Podium Girl Laura Antoine
In the video below with commentary by Phil Liggett, Laura Antoine starts by saying, "Hi, I'm Laura Antoine. I'm from Peyton West (? elsewhere Saint Louis) Missouri and I'm a podium girl... woooo!" We see her wearing a black dress presenting the white jersey to the best young rider classification. Laura is a model and has worked as a dancer for five years (starting 2003) at the Lido cabaret club on the Champs Elysees in Paris in the show Bon Heur (see photo at the bottom of this page). Laura came to Paris with three other American girls for the opening of that show before that, she danced at the Jubilee in Las Vegas. They other club that employees American dancers is Paris' Crazy Horse.When asked how she became a Tour podium girl, she replied, "I’d seen the Tour on TV, and I’d seen photos of the protocol (podium ceremonies) and I thought ... ‘I’d love to be one of those girls!’" (for the full interview see PezCycling News).
Videos
Phil Leggitt's 2009 Report and Interviews with the Tour's Podium GirlsBehind the Scenes. Podium Girls Talk About Their Roles and Activities
Podium Girl Photos & Jersey Winners
Yellow Jersey (General Classification Leader) Girls
 |
| 2010: Andy Schleck 'dorns the yellow jersey for stage 14. Image Credit: cyclingnews.com |
Green Jersey (Highest Sprint Points Winner) Girls
 |
| 2010: Thor Hushovd in the green jersey, Stage 7, July 2010 |
Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains) Girls
 |
| 2010: Award presenter for the king of the mountains stage 7, July 2010 |
 |
| 2010: Anthony Charteau of team Bbox Bouygues Telecom who retains King of the Mountain designation in stage 14 is flanked by what we call 'the polka-dotted-umbrella-skirted podium girls' who presumably have matching bloomers. leader. Image credit: steephill.tv |
 |
| 2007. Name unknowm. Photo credit: PezCyclingNews |
 |
| 2010:Bbox Bouygues Telecom's Anthony Charteau and the pretty KOM podium girls in their umbrella skirts. Photo credit: Steephill TV |
 |
| 2010: KOM podium girl leaves the podium. Image Credit: AP at Yahoo Sports |
White Jersey (Best Young Rider) Girls
 |
| 2010: Second award presenter and podium girl for best young rider, stage 7, July 2010 |
 |
| 2009: Laura on the right |
 |
| 2009: Laura on the right and Schleck in the center |
Most Aggressive Rider Award Girls
 |
| 2010: Jérôme Pineau wins the most aggressive ride classification for stage 7, July 2010 |
 |
| 2008: William Frischkorn after Stage 3 |
 |
| 2007: Left-Emanuelle. Right-Laura. Photo credit: PezCyclingNews |
 |
| 2007: Left-Laura. Right-Emanuelle. Resting back stage. Photo credit: PezCyclingNews |
Stage Winner
 |
| 2007: |
General
 |
| 2009: Backstage awaiting presentations |
Love At the Tour?
 |
| Discovery team (a.k.a. Lance Armstrong's team) rider George Hincapie and yellow jersey podium girl Melanie Simoneau who met in the 2003 Tour. Photo Credit: Gunaxin |
Podium girls are not to fraternize with the riders and are expected to limit their contact to polite kisses. But when cupid's around the rule book gets thrown out of the window. During the 2003 Tour, Discovery (U.S. Postal) team rider George Hincapie locked eyes with the podium girl who presented him with a golden stuffed lion. He said later, "I was mesmerized by her.” The podium girl was Melanie Simoneau. Hincapie passed her a note and soon romance blossomed. The Tour is as chauvinistic as they come. If the rules get broken, its the girls who get fired. The sponsors Credit Lyonnaise officials fired Simoneau for fraternization with a rider. It didn't matter in the long run. The two got married and have two children.
Scene from Bon Heur at Paris' Lido Cabaret
The lido is where best young rider (white jersey) podium girl Laura Antoine. Laura came to Paris with three other American girls for the opening of the Lido's Bon Heur in which she takes part as a performer. |
| Singer Anki Albertsson leading lady of Bon Heur. Photo credit: Its Showtime |
 |
| A close-up of the finale scene of Bon Heur. Photo credit: Its Showtime |
