Tour de France organisers have opened the door for a Women's Tour de France to begin from 2022.
Race director Christian Prudhomme says that a female equivalent to the famous grand tour is in the works.
Earlier this week a first ever women's Paris-Roubaix (October 25) was included in the UCI's revised calendar for the rest of 2020.
The season is due to get underway - for both sexes - on August 1 with the Strade Bianche in Italy.
"We want to increase, step by step, the number of women's events," Prudhomme told AFP.
He added, "We always have in mind the opinion of cyclists, particularly (multiple world champion) Marianne Vos, who told us 'What you can offer us is media coverage '".
Prudhomme says the women's edition of the Paris-Roubaix will take the place of the junior race which usually runs across the cobbles the morning of the men's race.
The ASO chief denies that this would be a once-off, "We will have to find a solution in the future, that we will adapt.
"But it is inherent in our profession, this year more than ever."
From 1984 to 1989, ASO organised a race called the Women's Tour de France which rode a shorter course than the men's but it was largely ignored at the time.
Since then, other variants have come and gone but Prudhomme sees a real opportunity to finally bind the two races.
ASO has previously stated that it would be "logistically impossible" to run the two races at the same time.
But Prudhomme maintains, "Our goal remains the same, with the idea of having a race that would take place after the Tour de France.
"Now the calendar is considerably shaken up. And now, in 2021, there will be the Olympic Games. It would be logical to envision it for 2022."
Prudhomme also confirmed that La Course de le Tour de France which touches on the men's route for one stage will take place on this year's first stage in Nice.
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