\u201cThe women\u2019s salaries are awful, in respect of them having no minimum salaries. A lot of these women could be making much more money \u2013 and having a much more comfortable life \u2013 out of the sport. They\u2019re not there because they are being paid mega-bucks and have never done anything else, like some of the guys.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of them are studying university courses, or things like physiotherapy part-time while they ride, because they\u2019re not going to be saving anything, and there aren\u2019t the cushy jobs in teams [once they retire] that the men have. So, this means they are there through choice, because they love it \u2013 and that makes things interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some will argue that the women simply do not deserve the kind of prize money and salaries that the men receive as they don\u2019t attract the same sponsorship nor pull in the same revenue from television rights, which may be true. However, the fact is that women\u2019s cycling was so woefully neglected by the UCI during the dark years of the Hein Verbruggen\/Pat McQuaid presidencies that it is no surprise that it languished for so long in the doldrums.<\/p>\n
Women, lest we forget, make up something like 50% of the population of the planet. Surely any half-intelligent man can see that that means a massive untapped market in terms of potential bike sales and UCI membership fees? Furthermore, the popularity of women\u2019s golf, tennis and football proves that, when managed well and governed sensibly, women\u2019s sport can be an extremely viable venture.<\/p>\n
At the 2012 Jayco Bay Classic McQuaid nailed his colors to the mast when he used the platform to say the he did not believe women deserved a minimum wage because they \u201chadn\u2019t progressed enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe Hosking, winner of the event that year, made her feelings plain when asked about McQuaid post-race.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can you say, Pat McQuaid is a dick,” she said.<\/p>\n
Sarah Connolly was equally forthcoming when I asked her is the UCI had done enough in the past to help develop women\u2019s cycling.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely not! We have a joke about how the UCI saw women in cycling \u2013 as podium girls, and to give birth to the adorable kids for race winners to cuddle on the podium,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the things Pat McQuaid was saying about women\u2019s cycling after the 2011 Worlds were outrageous \u2013 that women didn\u2019t deserve a minimum wage because the sport wasn\u2019t developed enough \u2013 especially as he missed the irony that it was his job to do the developing.\u201d<\/p>\n
And what of the bike brands and the manufacturers? Are they doing enough to promote women\u2019s cycling and to get more women involved in the sport at a grassroots level?<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them are accurately discouraging us,\u201d says Connolly. \u201cWhen brands like Assos sell their jerseys with posters of models on their knees in high heels\u2026 Well, adverts like that are definitely not aimed at women.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be hard to know where to start \u2013 and it\u2019s a weird thing how the bike brands never look to actual fashion trends, but tend to default to pink. But you compare how for example Specialized and Liv\/Giant talk to women, with the bikes, sponsoring teams in Europe, Australia, the USA, across MTB etc etc, and campaigns like the awesome \u2018I am Specialized\u2019, or Marianne Vos\u2019 road-trip to Barcelona with a bunch of fans, and how that impacts on people buying things, and you wonder why others are willfully neglecting 50% of the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
So is it all doom and gloom, or are there any signs that the new leadership at the UCI, with the new president Brian Cookson at the helm, are making good on their promise to revitalize women\u2019s cycling?<\/p>\n
One of Cookson\u2019s first moves was to promote Tracey Gaudry to become the first ever female vice-president, a move that won immediate applause from many. But are we seeing any effects from these changes?<\/p>\n
Tiffany Cromwell believes so.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Brian Cookson made the right noises saying we will do things for women\u2019s cycling but it\u2019s nice that we are seeing noticeable changes, it\u2019s the first time in my career, and there seems to be more emphasis on the women\u2019s side,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s great that the UCI is doing the highlights package for the women\u2019s world cup, getting the race highlights straight up on YouTube, and selling the extended highlights around the world too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like a lot more is happening and they\u2019re getting more people involved. Marianne Vos is doing a lot with the UCI now and I think they\u2019re interacting more with the top women athletes now to see what and how they can improve things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only positives that are coming out now which I think is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n One major development is that the women’s cycling has secured its first major sponsor in The Sufferfest<\/a>, the producer of indoor training videos.<\/p>\n Founder David McQuillen is fully committed to aiding ansd supporting the growth of the women’s side of the sport.<\/p>\n![\"Tiffany](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/1074697_575505319203292_1770661060_o.jpg?resize=640%2C960&ssl=1\")