Cyclists train all their lives for a chance to stand atop the podium in the Tour de France. The women who stand next to them also work hard to achieve their position. There is a distinct pecking order in the world of professional kissers. At the top of the heap are the women of Credit Lyonnaise, an international banking firm that has long been the sponsor of the yellow jersey.

The yellow-jersey women are models first, but they perform other duties, such as passing out newspapers to journalists in the Tour village, escorting celebrities and assisting with the prerace rider sign-in ceremony.

Not all the Credit Lyonnaise women make it to the podium; they have to do well in other duties for several years before achieving enough seniority to hand a stuffed lion to a sweaty rider. [...]