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As the UCI takes decisions in favour of the professionalisation of women's cycling and commits to a fairer and safer sport, TCA responds and reveals further survey findings which reinforce the need for more professionalisation in the sport.
Following the UCI announcement on 2 August 2023 that furthers the professionalisation of women’s cycling, The Cyclists’ Alliance (TCA) today responds and reveals further findings about the state of play in the women’s professional peloton via its unique annual rider survey. (See HERE FOR 1st press release on 21 July 2023)
On 2 August 2023, the UCI “[took] decisions in favour of the professionalisation of women's cycling, and committ[ed] to a fairer and safer sport”
TCA welcomes the two commitments made by the UCI to further professionalise women’s cycling, specifically:
- The creation of the UCI Pro team for women for 2025
- The integration of stakeholders of women's professional road cycling into the Professional Cycling Council (PCC)
Professionalism in the sport is aided not only by salaries and contracts but also by improving standards in all aspects of the sport - from working conditions, staff qualifications and the daily team environment, to the equipment for performing the job and the organisation of the racing calendar.
Back in February 2023, TCA’s Rider Council voted strongly in favour of supporting the creation of a potential “Pro Continental” division in women cycling. According to their lead representative, Ellen van Dijk, "The Rider Council believe Women World Tour teams should aim at even higher standards to support the growth of women cycling whether it’s about professionalisation of the teams or support of the riders.”
Experiences in the Women’s Peloton
While TCA applauds and acknowledges the commitment of the UCI and the work of many teams to improve levels of professionalism in the sport, the 2023 survey reveals that there is still more work to be done to further professionalise women’s cycling. For example, according to our survey
- Twenty nine per cent of respondents do not feel that their team is run in a professional manner.
- Only forty five per cent of riders who answered the survey confirm that their team provided them with opportunities to improve their race performance.
The survey results also highlighted concerns for TCA that certain riders are not operating in a safe working environment. Whether it's in connection with poor management of concussion or insufficient levels of professionalism from staff, TCA is deeply concerned that the number of riders with concerns about their safety has increased in proportion since our last survey in 2022.
Professional Services for the Women’s Peloton
As part of TCA’s commitment to women’s cycling, TCA offers professional support services to its members. In order of most valuable, riders confirmed that the most important services provided by TCA are:
(1) legal advice
(2) free contract review
(3) salary guidance
Although the 2023 survey reveals that professional female cyclists are making increased use of professional support when finding and negotiating contracts, many respondents continue to seek the advice and support of TCA during the process of finding and negotiating contracts.
- In 2023, around forty per cent of respondents confirmed that they worked with an agent, a marked increase from around thirty per cent in 2022.
- More than thirty per cent of respondents used legal assistance when signing their contract, double the response rate for the 2022 survey.
Next Steps
Earlier this year, TCA supported riders who were embroiled in the Zaaf continental team case to successfully terminate their contracts. We hope that increasing professionalisation can prevent future such cases arising.
TCA and TCA's Rider Council express hope that our organisation will be part of any future discussion of the Professional Cycling Council and believe the only way to change women’s cycling for the better is to work together in order to create lasting positive change.
TCA remains at the disposal of the UCI to start building a positive and long term relationship to benefit the women's peloton. Together, with the voice of the riders, we can further professionalise women’s cycling for the benefit of everyone.
Further Information
This is the only survey that is carried out annually for international professional women’s cycling, gathering direct quantitative and qualitative feedback from
professional riders on the ‘status quo’ for riders across the globe.
The full report on the 2023 annual survey will be released in September 2023.
Please contact survey@cyclistsalliance.org for more information.