The Untold Truth Of The Women's Tour De France

Publish date: 2024-05-05

Nothing is more emblematic of the disparity between the Tour de France's men's and women's races than their prize money. The men's Tour de France champion receives €2.2 million while the female champion receives a total of €250,000, according to CNN. To make matters worse, women have struggled to make a living while cycling. Many have had to work second jobs or otherwise reimburse their cycling team for expenses they incurred, such as bike maintenance and repair and medical costs.

In 2021, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) mandated that teams in the top tier of cycling, Women's WorldTour teams (WWT), must raise competitor salary to $27,961, more than a $10,000 increase from 2020. By 2023, team members will see about a $5,000 increase in their salary. However, tiers below WWT teams remain unprotected. In a 2022 survey, 60% of non-WWT professional cyclists said they didn't get paid at all.

Financial burdens have hampered the ability for women cyclists to hone their craft. Marianne Martin, the Tour de France Féminin's 1984 world champion, said she had to pay her own way to France. In order to get onto the team, she had to participate in numerous races in America and had to use her credit card to get by. By the time she retired, she was in debt.

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