SAINT-LARY-SOULAN, France — The daily ceremony during which the winners of the Tour de France’s various competitions slip into their leaders’ jerseys is tightly choreographed. And a key part of the ritual is a cycling tradition that many argue is, at best, long beyond its prime.
Each day, pairs of young women wearing high heels and dressed in evening gowns or above-the-knee skirts help the award winners into special podium versions of their jerseys, give them a trinket and, eventually, deliver chaste kisses.
The race organizer, the Amaury Sport Organization, officially calls the women “Tour hostesses.” They are universally referred to as “podium girls.