Alp d’Femme: The Uphill Struggle to Become An Elite Cyclist

By: Alec Levy-O’Brien

Section 1: Introduction

Some of the greatest and most dominant names in cycling come from the most humble beginnings, oftentimes without a formal path to the sport. In a sport as tradition-oriented as cycling, the rider that thinks out of the box to get to the top is not always revered at first. However, they soon find themselves surrounded by fans and friends supporting their aspirations. This is a fairly standard ark that we come across in professional men’s cycling. However, it is not often found in women’s cycling, with resources and investment scattered and scarce. Rising female cyclists have far fewer opportunities to get to the professional level than their male counterparts

Since I was a little boy, I have dreamt of becoming a professional cyclist. I stared longingly at the TV screen while names such as Contador, Schleck, and Wiggins danced up the French Alps. Their names will always be imprinted in my mind, even now that I have hung my aspirations up. Something I had not engaged with before on the other hand, was women’s cyclists. I had caught highlights and glimpses of women’s racing on the internet but never had I had the chance to see one of their races live. The women’s racing calendar did not have a Tour De France, nor did it have a Paris Roubaix. Cycling has stood on a platform of inclusivity, promoting efforts to develop the next generation of cyclists, yet there has been little waiting for young women fighting tooth and nail to become a professional cyclist. Racing bicycles in High School, I was exposed to a fair amount of both male and female professional cyclists at varying stages of their careers. Many had a unique story to tell, but not every account was one of success.

The worldwide cycling community is sizable and a large share of its members are women. I grew up racing bikes in California and many of my female friends expressed a desire to further their careers in the cycling world but were unsure how to. For young boys, there are clearly outlined expectations that need to be fulfilled to reach the next step. Get results, find a coach, practice your skills, apply to development teams and academies. For the girls on my high school mountain bike team, the road was less clear. Yes, there were development teams that recruited from the female ranks of rising cyclists, but so few have made it to the top and even fewer have shared their journey. 

Women in professional cycling rarely receive the same level of attention, pay, racing opportunities, or sponsorship opportunities as their male counterparts. In some cases, women’s events have been shut down because of a perceived threat to a men’s event being held on the same day. With ruling bodies urging teams to open up women’s outfits and event organizers to hold women’s races, few exist in reality. This ongoing issue has affected nearly every level of professional cycling, with countless female athletes speaking out and pleading for more opportunities to be made available to athletes willing to risk everything they have achieved to get to the next level.

The reflections of current and former athletes will help provide a history of where cycling has come, and what state it is currently in. My research will also help provide the context in which professional female athletes operate and how they view the profession in which they are trying to break into. While many facets of life have opened up and allowed women to increase their standing and level of opportunity, the cycling world lags, either unable or unwilling to accept change and accept women as a broader part of their community.

Section 2: Literature Review

The topic of gender inequities in professional cycling is not a widely researched field, unfortunately. Previous research on this topic is sparse, with much of my findings being centered around the first-person experiences of former and current professional and amateur cyclists. 

In this literature review, I will begin by identifying women’s historical role in the cycling industry, evaluating research into their roles and diverse experiences in different cultures. By examining how the role of female cyclists through history, we will be able to better understand how the role of women in cycling has changed over time and how it can potentially impact the future of cycling. Next, I will research the systemic and political issues that are restricting women from making it to the top level of cycling. Both USA Cycling and the international governing bodies of cycling have received scrutiny in the media for their rather lacking support for women’s professional cycling. With these findings, I will move on to researching how participation in cycling by diverse communities is affected by access to resources, and how a lack of which can prove to be detrimental to the sport. Finally, I will examine contemporary examples of women’s representation within the cycling industry. This will be key to understanding how experiences differ and if there are potential routes that provide a freer path to success. This evaluation of past research paired with the accounts of current and retired professional cyclists will help us further understand the organizational and structural roadblocks that rising professional cyclists face as they pursue a career in the cycling industry.

Section 2.1: Historical Accounts and Representation of Women in Cycling

Following the first World War, women in Britain faced a return to the degrading status they once carried. A status that saw them with fewer rights than their male counterparts, a step away from second-class citizens. Fighting back against the societal expectations of a pre-world war Britain, British women fought for their emancipation and right to live as equal amongst men. During this time, leisure became a new commodity, with many young men and women splitting their time between an increasingly stringent work schedule and an expanding leisure market. Neil Carter argues that cycling became a dominant outlet during this period, offering women an expanded reach into the physical culture. Beginning during the first World War, women’s cycling began to take off as previously unemployed housewives were called to work in factories to supply the war effort and the country in their time of need. With half the workforce being made up of women by 1916, the most reliable form of transportation from home to the factories was by bicycle (Neil).

Following the explosion of women into the workforce during the first World War, cycling became the most widely used form of non-motorized transportation throughout the country. However, this did not strengthen the public perception of the bicycle, with its familiarity amongst the working class riding to and from work causing distaste in some. Nevertheless, the number of cyclists in the country rose from 5 million in 1223 to near 12 million in 1939, a period in which more than 2 million bicycles were built (Neil). Not only had ridership more than doubled, but the number of clubs and participants had increased as well, meaning more were interested in what cycling had to offer beyond a source of transportation. Characteristically, however, debates about women’s participation in cycling grew louder, with arguments over appropriate lengths for events and apparel, with doctors even questioning the rationale behind cycling for so-called “refined women”.

Despite these arguments, the growth of women’s cycling was profound, with records being broken and new distances being reached by the best and brightest. It was even noted in the early 1920s that women were riding far better and longer than they had ever done before. It is no surprise then that the number of female-only road racing clubs exploded during the 1920s as more and more women devoted parts of their lives to the sport and the pursuit of greatness. By 1939, women’s cycling had reached a pinnacle moment, with more women competing than ever before and women’s events expanding to track cycling, a highly competitive subgenre of the sport which takes place in an elevated arena. During this same period, men’s cycling saw a dramatic decrease, resulting in increased coverage from local and national cycling news sources directed at women’s events. Neil argues that the increased coverage of women’s cycling garnered them more respect and national recognition amongst men, despite the sport of cycling remaining a minor sport in the country.

Section 2.2: Systemic Issue in Professional Cycling

Despite a strong history of female participation in Britain following the first World War, trends have not continued elsewhere. In Spain, sporting federations have been criticized for not doing enough to draw the attention and participation of female athletes. This has been a particular problem for the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), which plays host to the Vuelta a Espana, one of three major races in the men’s cycling calendar. Statistics from 2014 suggest that the gap in participation is considerable. Out of the 66 regional and recreational cycling federations in Spain, only 20.9% of cycling licenses issued to members belong to women, with more than 2.6 million licenses belonging to male athletes. Leruite suggests that this may be due to gender-related stereotypes that define male archetypes of strength and dominance over women. 

While female cyclings in Britain were racing in sanctioned events before World War II, RFEC did not sponsor its first women’s event nor issue licenses to women until 1977, eighty years after its founding in 1896 (Leruite). Progression has not moved far from the late 70s, with participation, achievement, and representation at a shocking low. As of 2014, the RFEC had not appointed a female president to a regional cycling federation position, nor has there been an increase in professional women’s teams. Of the 6 Spanish cycling teams participating in the highest levels of the sport, only two are women’s teams, and one of those is a subsidiary of the largest men’s team, Movistar Team. These statistics are shocking, especially considering that in 2013, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) appointed its first female vice-president (Leruite). 

RFEC staff members have reported frustrations within both the ruling organization and on race-day, with all interviewed by Leruite in 2014 agreeing that female participants do not receive enough attention and recognition within the sport. Much of the frustration from female athletes stems from the racing format that they are subjected to. In events that have both a men’s and women’s field, male competitors set off five minutes before the women set off, leaving the potential for the stronger women’s competitors to overtake parts of the men’s field. These sorts of scenarios can be potentially dangerous for the leading groups as having to navigate riders who are not a part of the same race can be distracting and lead to accidents (Leruite). Spanish road cycling is also turning away from the standard road-race competition, instead focusing on the recently minted “leisure-competition” events, a style that better promotes tourism to the detriment of women’s cycling in the country. Paired with decreasing sponsorship opportunities, fear is spreading amongst RFEC staff that women’s professional cycling could be nearing its end.

Leruite argues that because of the decreasing amount of events, teams, and resources, Spanish female competitive cycling has become a warning signal to the rest of the industry. Rampant discrimination against women has slowed involvement in the sport, causing stagnation and frustration within the sporting field. Leruite contents that Spanish cycling needs to have another renaissance period as it did when it first approved licenses for female participants in the 1970s. By revitalizing the internal culture of the federation, there is a potential to uproot the discriminatory practices and increase involvement at all levels of the sport by allowing women to operate more equitably. 

Section 2.3: Resource Access and Participation in Professional Cycling

As with many established sports in contemporary history, cycling’s gender gap is fairly consequential. Much of this is due to several key factors which can inhibit certain demographics and populations who are susceptible to mitigating factors. Much of this has to do with the overhead costs associated with the sport. Unlike sports such as baseball and soccer, there are few racecourses and training centers in the United States, often with hundreds of miles separating them. This can be a fairly daunting physical barrier to entry, as it is common for racers to have to travel to different corners of their state and country to participate in high-level competitions. 

Equipment costs are also a considerable hurdle, with the price of a race-capable bike ranging in price from $1000 to upwards of $11,000 depending on the features and equipment attached (Gulley). These costs climb from here, with clothing, helmets, shoes, and repair parts bringing costs up significantly higher for something in useable condition. Now in some spaces in sport, this issue might be easily overlooked. However, in women’s cycling, sponsorships, grants, and scholarships are few and far between, leaving these costs to the athletes before entry into the competitive levels of the sport (Ayala). Race entry fees are also a serious issue, with many female athletes surveyed in 2019 stating this to be a constraint within the sport alongside training and equipment costs (Ayala).

The same study researched what experiences increased participation amongst female participants, the major motivator being Encouragement and Support according to 36.73% (Ayala). Field Decisions and Equal Prize Money were close behind, the latter of which highlights the importance of fans at a racing venue. Participants noted that while many fans showed up to watch men’s events, the encouragement they received during their races helped tremendously through feelings of acknowledgment and recognition(Ayala). Following along the themes of equity and inclusion, equal prize offerings for both male and female participants greatly increased satisfaction amongst female competitors, with almost half of those surveyed noting feelings of appreciation and respect through actions such as these. According to Ayala, these findings suggest that through increased fan involvement and equalized pay amongst athletes, women will be better incentivized not only to participate in cycling but more willing to engage in races as well. 

Section 3: Creative Project Overview

To better understand the context in which female cyclists operate, I must spend time with female professional athletes and prominent figures within the sporting space to better understand the systematic issues of prejudice firsthand. It is my goal while with these athletes to better understand their unique path to where they are in their careers, and hear in their own words what obstacles were left in their path. 

Every athlete is unique, and it is essential to showcase the features that set them apart from the rest of the field. To do this, I would like to spend time in the athlete’s native environment, documenting their chosen genre of cycling through photography and interviews with both the athletes and any coaching staff they are close with. Documenting with photographs is an essential aspect of this piece as emotions and passion cannot always be communicated through written words. 

Through this project, I hope to shine a brighter light on the female athletes working hard to not only elevate their careers but help empower future generations to join the cycling industry. With a focus on equality and increasing access to resources such as sponsorships and training opportunities, I hope to help encourage both brands and ruling bodies to divest their resources into furthering opportunities for female cyclists. 

In an ideal world, these individual stories would be published in a cycling magazine or other news platform that has the ear not only of cycling fans but also organizations and companies within the cycling industry. Publications such as Outside Magazine, Peloton, and Velo News have the potential to be a healthy springboard for a project such as this, with each holding its level of connection with the cycling community. Outside, in particular, would be a great platform for this project, potentially bringing greater attention not only to women’s cycling but the broader conversation of inequities in professional women’s sport across the board. Outside Media’s sizeable resources and diverse readership would hopefully be helpful in not only spreading awareness via word of mouth but at the corporate level as well. 

At present, I do not have very close connections with many athletes that I would consider interviewing and researching for this project. However, I have worked closely with several cycling teams that have been working hard to make sure the next generation of professional cyclists, namely Bear National Team out of California. Owned and operated by former professional cyclist Julia Violich, Bear National offers opportunities for promising young athletes interested in a career in professional mountain biking. The team, which specializes in the development of junior athletes ranging in age from 13 to 21, promises exposure to some of the largest names in professional cycling as well as access to cutting-edge equipment and training resources. Julia has made it her mission to allow every athlete to prove their worth at the highest level of the sport, no matter the cost. Individuals such as Julia are who I am targeting in this project, as their work is what is pushing women’s cycling upward.

Section 4: Works Cited

Ayala, Erin E., et al. "Experiences That Affect Participation of Women and Gender Diverse Athletes in Competitive Cycling." Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education and Leadership, vol. 12, no. 1, spring 2020, pp. 10+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A614028239/AONE?u=coloboulder&sid=summon&xid=c6f5040

Carter, Neil. “Marguerite Wilson and Other ‘Hard-Riding … Feminine Space Eaters’: Cycling and Modern Femininity in Interwar Britain.” Sport in History, September 27, 2020, pp. 1–23, DOI: 10.1080/17460263.2020.1823876.

Leruite, Mayte. “Analysis of Gender Policies of the Spanish Cycling and Triathlon Federations from the Point of View of Representative Athletes and Expert Technicians”. Journal of Science and Cycling, vol. 3, no. 3, November 2014, pp. 34-43, https://www.jsc-journal.com/index.php/JSC/article/view/164.

Gulley, Aaron. “How Much Should You Spend for a Good Road Bike?”. Outside Online, August 4, 2017, https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/bikes-and-biking/how-much-do-you-need-spend-good-road-bike/