Women’s pro cycling is booming, so why are races and teams collapsing for lack of financial support?Cyclist investigates
Words Emma Magnus Illustration Jessica Antúnez
Women’s pro cycling Insight
Australian cyclist Matilda Raynolds was out for dinner in Brussels when she received a text message. The Lotto Belgium Tour, a five-day race featuring some of the country’s most iconic climbs, was cancelled due to ‘unforeseen challenges’ that affected the race budget and riders’ safety. It was due to start in four days’ time.
‘It was a huge shock,’ says Raynolds. ‘It marked the end of my trip.’
Raynolds, 35, had made the 16,300km journey from Australia at her own expense to ride for a local team, Keukens Brabant. As with every rider among the 23 teams signed up, Raynolds had her own ambitions for the race. It was an opportunity to prove herself on a parcours – full of short, punchy climbs – that suited her, in a televised race. Above all, it was a chance to sign with a professional team.
‘Most of my races this year were in training for the Belgium Tour, my key goal. It was my best opportunity to get some results,’ says Raynolds, who had turned down openings with other teams to spend eight weeks in Belgium. ‘That’s cycling. It’s such a beautiful, fucked sport. When it’s good, it’s so good. And when it’s bad, it’s so bad.’
The Lotto Belgium Tour, set to take place in June, was not the only women’s race to be cancelled this season, nor was Raynolds the only cyclist to have her hopes dashed. A week later, the Tour Féminin des Pyrénées was curtailed, with riders dodging oncoming traffic, parked vehicles and pedestrians, and the race deemed too dangerous to continue. And in March, The Women’s Tour – the UK’s biggest women’s bike race – was cancelled. It was also scheduled for June.
‘Of course the riders were disappointed,’ says Bruno Savona, sponsorship manager for Lidl-Trek, who won the race with Elisa Longo-Borghini in 2022. ‘It’s not good for riders to endure this. It’s not good for anyone.’
Despite the growing popularity of women’s bike racing – Eurosport recorded nearly 15 million viewers for this year’s Tour de France Femmes, a rise of 7.14% on 2022 – the sport is still embroiled in a perennial struggle for funding. As well as race cancellations, August saw the longest-running women’s WorldTour team, EF Education-Tibco-SVB, fold as key sponsors pulled out (EF Education-Cannondale has since replaced it). In October, the wo
