There's a rather notable absence from Le Tour de France — women.

Not only are women not allowed participate in the men's only cycling event, but an equivalent race for women doesn't exist.

This year thirteen women rode every stage of the Tour de France before the men did to make a point about equality in cycling — that it's high time there was a female equivalent to the Tour de France. And, that women are more than capable of completing the Tour, one of the most difficult sporting events in the world.

Naysayers might argue here that female cyclists have La Course, a one-day women-only race managed by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organisers of the Tour de France. But, does one day of cycling really count as an equivalent?

Male cyclists race for 23 days at the Tour de France. And, as former pro cyclist Kathryn Bertine points out, female cyclists race just one day.

Men race 23 days at Tour de France. Women race ONE. We opened the door in 2014, but #ASO dropped the ball on our plans & progress toward parity. Wanna show your support for equality? Our iconic Equality kit is available thru 7/29. Benefits @HomestretchFdn! https://t.co/eJEevOpkTt pic.twitter.com/eMuaEOwILr — Kathryn Bertine (@KathrynBertine) July 14, 2018

Thirteen women, known collectively as Donnons Des Elles Au Vélos, cycled the very same mountainous 2,082-mile (3,351-kilometre) route cycled by their male counterparts.

The rather crucial difference for this team was that their achievement wasn't met with any jerseys, prize money, or podiums. Instead, these women used pedal power to prove a point about gender equality in cycling — or rather, the current lack thereof.

Image: des elles au velo

These women also had to cycle in more difficult conditions, as they had to cycle alongside cars and other vehicles that wouldn't ordinarily be permitted during the official Tour.

Anna Barrero, who completed the three-week race on Saturday, told Mashable that the current lack of a female equivalent to the Tour de France makes her feel "very sad."

"There's a race of one day, but that's not an equivalent," says Barrero. "It's unfair."

Barrero and her teammates want to highlight the need for a women's stage race that gets the same level of attention and media coverage as the Tour gets.

"We want to show the rest of the world, that women are perfectly capable of doing and finishing the Tour de France," says Barrero. "We want to have exactly the same opportunities as men.

Barrero says that in the cycling community, there's "a lot of support" for the campaign to have a female Tour de France. "The only ones who say are it’s not possible are the organisers of the Tour de France," says Barrero.

According to Barrero, the ASO — the organisation which runs the Tour — says "for the moment it's not possible" to set up a female equivalent. When asked why not, the ASO "doesn't give a particular reason."

Mashable reached out to the ASO for clarification, but did not hear back.

This year wasn't the first time the female team completed the race in an unofficial capacity. The Des Elles team started doing it four years ago with just three riders. 2018 will certainly not be the last year Des Elles race either.

"Yeah we are gonna keep doing it until we have a positive response and we have equality," says Barrero. "There’s no reason for not having a women’s race."

Image: des elles au velo

Barrero has a message for young women who might be considering a career in professional cycling.

"I would tell them don’t be afraid, get on your bike, ride as much as you want, we are all capable of doing whatever we want," she says.