(As members of the new Philadelphia Bicycle Advocacy Board look on, Mayor Nutter signs the order giving the group official status. Photo by Steve Tawa)

By Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — After Mayor Nutter’s low profile trip this summer to view the Tour de France bicycle race, he has signed a high-profile executive order at City Hall to peddle professional cycling in Philadelphia.

With the stroke of a pen today, Nutter created the Philadelphia Bicycle Advocacy Board. One of its first tasks will be to increase the profile of women in the cycling race held here in early June of each year.

Nutter’s trip to France had included meetings with the president of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body for sport cycling.

Bicycle Advocacy Board member Phil Senechal (standing fourth from left), a Philadelphia businessman who previously sponsored and managed an international women’s team, says the women’s side of the race has been upgraded to be part of the UCI Women’s World Cup series.

“This would be one of five or six most elite races in the world,” he notes.

Mayor Nutter’s wife, Lisa, also a member of the board (standing third from right), says cycling in Europe is pretty saturated: “They see the us as an expanding market for them.”

And she says that in Philadelphia, the Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic is one of the few international-level races that offer equal prize money to the men’s and women’s race winners.

“It spoke volumes to them that we were looking at the sport from an equity lens,” she said.

Organizers say the Philadelphia race will draw the highest ranked teams in the world competing for UCI points to qualify for even bigger events, and ultimately make their respective Olympic teams.