Sarah Storey speaks about wanting to take part in a competition.

The Tour de France Femmes is a perfect example of sport competiton for sportwomen . It’s a competition that Sarah Storey been wanting to take part in, but the chance never arose – until now.

As the current President of British Cycling, Sarah is no stranger to competition. She’s also dedicated to promoting women’s cycling, and to seeing more opportunities for women in the sport.

The Tour de France Femmes is a 10-day race that covers the same route as the Tour de France, but with a few changes to make it more suitable for women. And with the Tour de France Femmes getting underway this weekend, Storey is keen to see more women taking up the sport and competing at the highest level.

“The Tour de France Femmes is a massive opportunity for women’s cycling,” she told BBC Sport. However, she insists that her focus is now on helping the next generation of female cyclists reach their potential.

“It’s so important to have role models in sport, and I’m just trying to be the best role model I can be,” she said. “It’s something that I’m really passionate about - getting more women on bikes and into the sport. It’s a great platform to show just how far the sport has come and how strong women’s cycling is.”

Storey, who has won 14 Paralympic gold medals, is no stranger to success on two wheels, having been crowned British road race champion in 2011. “It’s a huge step forward,” Storey told BBC Sport. “The Tour de France is the biggest race in the world and to have a women’s race on the same course, on the same day, is a big moment.”

As a former para-cyclist, Storey is no stranger to taking on Tour de France stages. In 2015, she became the first British woman to win a stage of the Tour when she triumphed in the time trial on stage eight.