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Tour de France Femmes glamour hides fragile foundation for women's cycling
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Sports

Tour de France Femmes glamour hides fragile foundation for women's cycling

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • The glamour of the Tour de France Femmes masks a fragile foundation for women's cycling, with smaller teams struggling financially.
  • While the event grows in popularity and viewership, smaller teams face challenges with funding, disappearing races, and limited media coverage.
  • Riders and team managers express concern over the lack of a sustainable business model, warning that the sport's lower tiers are becoming increasingly precarious.

The glitz and growing popularity of the Tour de France Femmes are creating a stark contrast with the precarious financial reality faced by many smaller teams in women's professional cycling. While the event draws large crowds and impressive television viewership, with the opening stage attracting 2.17 million viewers in France, nearly 80% of the audience for a men's stage, this success story does not trickle down to the sport's lower echelons.

Every day is a struggle to reach the finish line. As a small team, we suffer a lot.

— Océane MahéA rider for the French team Ma Petite Entreprise, Océane Mahé, describes the daily challenges faced by smaller teams.

Teams like Ma Petite Entreprise, a small French outfit with the smallest budget, operate out of cramped campers, highlighting the resource disparity. Riders on these teams often endure grueling stages, with one rider already eliminated for finishing outside the time limit and others involved in multiple crashes. Océane Mahé, a rider for Ma Petite Entreprise, described each day as a "struggle to reach the finish line," emphasizing the hardship faced by smaller squads.

People come to the Tour and see how big it is. They hear about the prize money, about the salaries that top riders earn.

— Grace BrownGrace Brown, president of the riders' union The Cyclists' Alliance, explains how the Tour's success can be misleading regarding the sport's overall financial health.

Grace Brown, president of the riders' union The Cyclists' Alliance, warns that the sport's foundation is becoming increasingly fragile. She notes a decline in the number of women's teams as sponsors withdraw, leading to the disappearance of races and fewer development opportunities for aspiring cyclists. Even major teams acknowledge the financial instability. Stephen Delcourt, team manager for FDJ-SUEZ, stated, "There is simply no good business model in cycling. We need to diversify our revenue streams."

The foundation for the sport is becoming increasingly fragile.

— Grace BrownBrown expresses concern about the precarious financial state of women's cycling.

The financial struggles are forcing teams out of the sport. Mahé's former team, Arkea, and the German team Ceratizit, both folded due to financial problems, leaving vacant spots in the top-tier World Tour. This situation raises concerns about the long-term sustainability and growth of women's cycling beyond the elite level.

There is simply no good business model in cycling. We need to diversify our revenue streams.

— Stephen DelcourtThe team manager for FDJ-SUEZ highlights the financial challenges facing professional cycling teams.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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