Mitchelton-Scott rider Gracie Elvin says that women’s cycling can take heart from the growing success of their tennis counterparts and thinks that there are major opportunities for the sport to grow. Elvin is one of the founding members of riders’ association, the Cyclists’ Alliance, which was announced last month.
The Australian believes that the sport is not shackled down by the weight of history and has a chance to “push for change”.
“I truly think that women’s cycling has the potential to be one of the leaders in global women’s sport,” said Elvin. “The success of women’s tennis can be a great example of how a unified body can push for change and prove the audience is there. The financial opportunities for the sport, for teams and for individuals are endless given the right platform and not stalled in the hands of a few.
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“Even though cycling is entrenched in tradition, women’s cycling is relatively new and thus less hindered by “doing it how it has always been done”. Giving riders a voice will ultimately show them that they have choices.”
Elvin says that there is currently a disparity in support across women’s cycling and that she was surprised to find out how little some of her counterparts were paid to race. Elvin is about to start her seventh season as a professional, but she says that even she was shocked by the results of a recent survey compiled by the Alliance ahead of their official launch in December.
The survey, completed by almost 300 riders, showed that around 50 per cent of riders in the women’s peloton are paid less than €10,000 per year. She added that the lack of legal assistance was also worrying, with some 91 per cent of respondents saying they’d signed a contract with no legal aid.
A balancing act
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