Revolutionary Roadies

At the end of June, the 108th Tour de France will roll out from Brittany. Once again, for the 21 stages of action in the men’s race, the women’s nearest equivalent, La Course, will be a single stage run over a solitary day – a 107km footnote. Next year promises more, with the six-day Battle of the North in Scandinavia set to land on the 2022 WorldTour schedule, and it could also be the year when ASO, the Tour de France’s organiser, finally delivers on its mooted women’s version of the race – an idea that has been tantalisingly touted for some time now.

Even if those races come to fruition, there will remain some way to go still until women’s road racing matches the men’s for opportunities, exposure and money. This year’s Strade Bianche became emblematic of the ongoing struggle for parity when fans contributed to a crowdfunder to equalise the women’s prize money of €2000 with the men’s €16,000. It’s far from the only race to offer markedly different cash rewards to its male and female winners.

Progress on the road to equality in pro cycling has been slow, with many obstacles along the way, despite women having been racing for as long as men. In fact, cycling was one of the first competitive sports women participated in, with an event at the Parc Bordelais in Bordeaux