Marianne Martin Wins Yellow Jersey, First Woman on 1984 Tour de France

American cyclist Marianne Martin, a 26‑year‑old from Michigan, became the first woman ever to wear and win the yellow jersey in the 1984 women's Tour de France. After taking the race lead in the Alpine stages, she defended it through the final stages and crossed the finish line on the Champs‑Élysées in Paris, making her the first American to stand on a Tour de France podium.

Martin’s victory followed earlier brief holds on the jersey by Mieke Havik, Connie Meijer and Heleen Hage, but she was the first to hold it to the finish. The race was part of an effort by Félix Lévitan, director of the Société du Tour de France, to establish a women’s edition of the historic event. That same year Bernard Hinault was runner‑up to Laurent Fignon in the men’s Tour, underscoring the parallel achievements.

The 1984 win pre‑dated the first women’s Olympic road race (won by Connie Carpenter‑Phinney) and highlighted the growing prominence of women’s endurance cycling.