When the winner crosses the finish line of the Tour of Flanders, he’ll pocket €20,000. A few hours in advance, the winner of the ladies’ race will win just €1150. Apart from some large races inside the UK, such as the Tour de Yorkshire and the Women’s Tour, the women’s prize fund is a small fraction of the men’s in equivalent road races.
Although the girls’ racing calendar includes some Monument races like Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege that replicate the guys’ race, there are few critical activities that girls cannot compete in insignificantly, such as the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix.
ASO, the organizer of both races, has stated that there are no plans to maintain girls’ versions of these events.
While the one-day race La Course is staged throughout the Tour de France, ASO director Christian Prudhomme has reiterated that a women’s Tour de France might not be logistically possible. As for the Queen of the Classics, the timetable for Paris-Roubaix is already full because a junior men’s race additionally takes place nearby.
UCI President David Lappartient has referred to ASO as extra to increase women’s racing, notably to cozy assured television coverage for the girls’ races it organizes.
During a recent public assembly at London’s Look Mum No Hands wherein women racers mentioned racing conditions, Molly Weaver highlighted the need for higher TV coverage to draw greater sponsorship and extra funds for UCI WorldTour groups to pay all their riders at least the minimum salary (€15,000 according to annum) when the guideline comes into force in 2020.
Around half of the female professional racers are paid €five,000 euros pa.
The Cyclists’ Alliance was formed in 2017 to address problems in women’s professional cycling. Started by Iris Slappendel, Gracie Elvin, and Carmen Small, the organization’s objectives symbolize the aggressive, financial, and personal pastimes of female professional cycle racers and offer women a voice while bargaining for improved situations.
Women’s expert cycle racing is many years younger than the guys’ sport, so it isn’t surprising that there is a lot of catching up to do.
Just as with men’s racing, media coverage of the sport is prime in giving ladies’ cycle racing a wider appeal and attracting sponsorship, which eventually translates into extra assets and better working conditions.
With 45 UCI women’s teams, there may be energy and intensity in girls’ racing. This can permit a tier gadget of big world groups and smaller Continental Teams, allowing simpler access to pinnacle-degree women’s racing for aspiring racers and teams.
A range of movers and shakers in women’s biking have given their evaluations to Cyclist, wherein we are in ladies’ racing.
‘I agree that a Paris-Roubaix would be a high-quality addition to our race calendar. We have proved that we can take over worrying courses along with Strade Bianche and Flanders and that they have continually been interesting to observe.
‘I have even watched the Roubaix for many years now, and I love the brutality and drama of the race and would love to experience it for myself.
‘I disagree that the women’s peloton needs a 3-week stage race. The appeal of ladies’ cycling is the excitement and drama that the shorter and more intense race lengths convey.
‘We already have an extraordinary 10-day stage race [Giro] on our calendar, bringing massive amounts of enthusiasm and suspense protecting all one-of-a-kind terrains.
‘However, I did love racing along the Champs Elysées and would like it if we got the risk to run with it again.
‘I love racing on days while the men are because it is a way to enjoy the ecosystem that the guys’ peloton brings; however, we can also discover ourselves competing for interest.
‘In races that stand on my own, we get a total reputation from all media structures, organizers, and fanatics, making our experience unique and allowing us to show off our sport.
‘The Ovo Energy Women’s Tour, for instance, is at a unique time of 12 months to the men’s race, so we benefit from the wonderful organization and media structures.’
‘When I was racing professionally, the changes I noticed were longer, higher organized races, more media interest, greater depth and energy within the field, greater professional teams, and higher salaries.
‘There was a variety of goodwill in women’s biking, which made the sport very special to me. However, I nevertheless like to be concerned because so many people are running in girls’ biking out of passion. But sure, we certainly do our job in much less advantageous situations than the men.
‘Since forming the Cyclists’ Alliance, we’ve no longer seen many attempts by ASO sincerely, but we have visible moves to alternate things using the UCI.
‘I assume our 2017 survey has opened people’s eyes at the UCI. We see specifically inside the “more recent” cycling countries like the UK, USA, and Australia that they’re making various attempts to improve the races; however, Flanders is also doing the right job.
‘If I may want to change one issue in ladies’ biking, it’d be greater TV/online coverage and a longer stream of races.
‘I could additionally want to see that greater woman cyclists are privy to their rights, and we try to teach them about this. It’s OK to speak up.’
‘When I raced, the Women’s Tour was a high-quality, organized race with accurate prize money. I also favored Yorkshire. The organization was perfect. Sadly, I cannot say the equal for the Giro.
‘The organization became great; however, the standard of the lodge might have been better, and the prize money changed into ridiculous. My heart is in it because it’s in Italy, but I suppose they may improve the race.
‘There are no policies regarding prize money in the race class regarding investors being free to invest the cash however they want. Sometimes they invite multiple small Italian teams. I don’t suppose it’s exact for the girls because they arrive at the Giro for a ten-day race, and after some days, they have to grasp onto the bike because they are not in a position to complete it.
‘It’s a waste because the organization has paid them to return. I suppose it’s miles better to have fewer teams inside the race, and then the cash stored can be used for greater prize cash.
‘They display the Giro on RAI TV, and as humans are already looking at TV for the Tour de France, we get a gap of about 15 minutes. But it depeminuteson what they display and how you show us for human beings to be involved.
In The last 12 months, they confirmed Zoncolan and advertised a lot of publicity about it, but they merely showed a speedy video, and people didn’t understand the race. It would be best to show tiers with a group sprint, displaying the women doing a lead-out.
