Interview Tiffany Keep

After years of racing against the best mountainbike racers in the World, Tiffany Keep would like to try the same on the road one day. This year she immediatly won in her first road season and a collected many other good results in the months before. She says that she still has a long way to go, but she's on a good journey to become a more then competitive road cyclist.  It has been a very interesting year for her. A year where she collected experiences to take advantage off in the coming year. In this interview she shares those experiences with you and she already tells about what she'll do in the coming months.

You originally rode more on MTB, then on the road. How did you experience your time in that discipline?

I started my cycling journey on a mountain bike. It is still the discipline of cycling which comes most naturally to me, and I would say riding trails on my mountain bike is still my happy place on a bike. My main focus was on Cross Country for many years, and I loved the aggressive and stimulating format of an XCO race. I had a great time racing and achieved some goals that I’m very proud of over the 11 years of racing full seasons of XCO.

I had the privilege of racing XCO internationally with the best in the world, and experience some awesome courses. Maybe I will make a return to this discipline someday. Who knows!

I still love riding my mountain bike, and took part in the Cape Epic this year, along with a few other stage races and marathon events over the years. I enjoy being a more multifaceted rider and being versatile in different disciplines.

What made you choose for the road?

I chose to focus more on the road when an opportunity to race on a road team overseas came along. My goal was always to make a professional career out of cycling overseas, whether it be on the mountain bike or road. Whichever door opened first, I would pursue that opportunity with determination and a will to succeed. As the mountain bike and road seasons have a lot of overlap, I naturally decided to prioritise road races in order to progress and learn as much as possible.

How did you experience your first full road season?

I absolutely love racing in Europe and the UK and thoroughly enjoyed my first full Road season. I was very happy with the progression I was able to make throughout the season and more importantly the learning experiences which will ultimately prove to be beneficial for the years to come! Everyday is a school day in this game.

What do you expect of next season?

I would love to continue progressing and learning more about the sport. I still have a long way to go, but this is also motivating in itself. I will be returning to race overseas next year and I’m really looking forward to putting in the work over the Southern hemisphere Summer ahead of a bush and exciting race season!

What did you learn this year?

I learnt a few new things about myself as a rider and how to conserve energy better on the bunch. There is still room for improvement here but it is motivating to see how beneficial a full season on the road can be hugely impactful on performance and race strategy.

What is the biggest challenge for you physically or mentally in the sport?

At the moment it is balancing the fatigue of racing and traveling almost every weekend. The racing is so hard that it requires fresh focus and is very demanding on the body. In order to do well you need to be both mentally and physically in the game. The season is so long that it is important to prioritise certain races over others and ensure that recovery remains a top priority too.

How will you spend the off season and when will you start preparing for the next one?

I’ve spent the offseason by maximising my time with family and friends and enjoying being back home in the Southern hemisphere. It is a long time spent away from home, and it’s extremely nourishing to be back in a familiar environment. Preparations for next year have already started and we’ll continue building through November and December, and into the new year!

When will you start your road season next season?

In South Africa our season starts really early. My first race will most probably be at the end of January, although the first big race will be our National Champs in February.

Interview Eugenie Duval (EN)

 Interview Eugénie Duval

In her 9th year with FDJ-Suez, she booked her biggest result in her carreer. She sprinted for the victory at the track of Roubaix. The experienced road captain usually guides the classic squad and serves her leaders in the biggest races. Next year, Eugénie Duval will do again what she's good at and she hopes to taste the victory herself one time too. An interview with one of the most loyal captains in the peloton.

This year, you sprinted to victory on the track of Roubaix. How did you experience it?

Yes, there were a lot of emotions. It wasn't the scenario I'd imagined, but it was a lot of fun and I hope I can do it again.

In previous years, you've taken part in all the major races, but not yet in the Tour de France. Are you dreaming of taking part there too?

Yes, of course, it's a race I'd like to do.

You've now completed your ninth season in cycling. Have there been many changes over the years?

Yes, women's cycling has come a long way in recent years and it's continuing to develop.

Professionalisation is a big step and something that was hard to believe a few years ago.

How do you feel about this season?

There have been some good things and some not-so-good things.

What are your goals for next year?

To win a race and take part in the Tour de France.

There's a lot of talent in the team. Do you enjoy sharing your experience with them?

Yes, and I get a lot from them too.

What was the best organised race you've done in your career?

I think that the races in England (Women's tour, Ride London) are very well organised.

What would you like to see for cycling in the coming years?

That women's cycling continues to develop, whether through new organisations or through continuing it's mediation.

Interview Eugenie Duval (FR)

 Interview Eugénie Duval

Dans sa 9ème année avec FDJ-Suez, elle a obtenu le plus grand résultat de sa carrière. Elle a sprinté pour la victoire dans le Vélodrome de Roubaix. L'expérimentée capitaine de route guide habituellement l'équipe classique et sert ses leaders dans les plus grandes courses. L'année prochaine, Eugénie Duval fera à nouveau ce qu'elle sait faire et espère goûter elle aussi à la victoire. Entretien avec l'une des plus fidèles capitaines du peloton. 

Cette année, vous avez sprinté pour la victoire sur la piste de Roubaix. comment avez-vous vécu cette expérience ?

Oui il y avait beaucoup d’émotions. Ce n’était pas le scénario que je m’avais imaginé mais c’était très plaisant et j’espère pouvoir le revivre.

Dans les années passées, vous avez participé dans tous les plus grands courses, mais pas encore dans le Tour de France. Tu rèves pour participer là-bas aussi?

Oui biensur c’est une course que je souhaite faire

Vous avez terminé ta neuvième saison dans le cyclisme maintenant. Il y a beaucoup changé pendant ces années à votre avis?

Oui le cyclisme féminin a beaucoup évolué ces dernières années et il continue de se développer.

La professionnalisation est un grand pas et quelque chose que l’on avait du mal à croire il y a quelques années

Comment tu regards à cette saison?

Il y a eu des bonnes choses et des moins bonnes

Quelles sont tes objectifs pour l’année prochaine?

C’est de gagner une course et de participer au Tour de France

Il y a beaucoup du talent dans l’equipe. Vous aimez partager votre experience avec eux?

Oui et elles aussi m’apportent beaucoup

Quelle était la course la mieux organisée que vous avez participé dans ton carrière?

Je pense que les courses en angleterre (women’s tour, ride London) sont des courses qui sont très bien organisées

Que souhaitez-vous pour le cyclisme dans les années prochaines?

Que le cyclisme féminin continue de se developer que se soit avec de nouvelles organisations mais aussi continuer là médiation

 Interview Ana Vitória Magalhães

This season was one big journey for Ana Vitória Magalhães. She did start her first full season overseas and took her first national title. The now 23 years old rider finished her first grand tour and showed she's competivie against some of the best riders on the American continent as well. After an intense road season, she took time off for her other passions off the bike and to tell you about her year on the bike. A look back on the past season and an eye already on the next one.

Since 2022, you’re taking part in European races. How did it feel to move to and race in Europe as a Brazilian?

It was always a dream to race in Europe and be part of a team, of course on the beginning i felt i little bit scary, but you know, life is about grabbing the opportunity and making the most out of it.

This year you won your first national title on the road. How does it feel to wear this jersey for a year?

It feels amazing, since i turned pro, I wanted to take my national flag to the races in Europe, im really proud to be brazilian and wearing this jersey gives me a little extra watts, its reminds me of my roots.

It was your first full season on the road. How do you look back on it?

I’m really happy of how I developed this season, it was really about learning and putting the work day by day, i didn’t know what to expect, but on the end looking back im not the same cyclist from 8 months ago, so im really proud about that, I feel am in the right direction. Im not in a rush, i know where i wanna go, but it takes time to reach, so just focusing on the steps in front.

What are do you see as your strenghts as a rider?

Im still learning about myself as a rider, but i definitely like some punchy climbs :)

What brings 2024 for you?

Continue my develop as a rider and putting the work from this season to the next one.

What are your dreams in the sport?

Win races, Olympics, develop cycling in Brazil, return to cycling everything that its giving me and of course just keep loving what i do.

You finished ahead of big names like Sierra or Faulkner at the Pan American Games. How proud are you about this result?

Im not really proud about my result, because i know i could have done better, i guess its never about the result its about how you feel and if you feel you gave your 100%, and with how i was feeling on the race i was expecting a better result, but yeah, looking to the whole season, im proud to be racing with the big names, whose im a huge fan of.

How will you spend your vacation now? What are your biggest interests outside the sport?

Right now im with my family and friends having a good time. I like to watch soccer and cheer for my team “Fluminense” so, trying not to think so much about cycling and just disconnect.

Inclusion in cycling

 Inclusion, a work not yet in progress

Every year an uncountable amount of riders have to leave the sport, sometimes even before they couldn't show their full potential. A big group of riders doesn't get a chance to compete in the sport on an international level, another group who could jump over that bar already has to drop out after only a few years despite performing better then others who can stay sometimes for about 10 years longer in the sport. What are the causes of these events and what are the solutions? Through this article we run through the issues that many cyclists are facing and which factors have an impact on the possibilities of a rider's carreer. 

Practical obstacles

The first hinderniss for many riders who want to race at the global level is to actually get there. We all remember the story of 4 Eritrean cyclists who were denied a visa because they wanted to race at the Worldchampionships at Scotland. If even for the Worldchampionships riders don't get a visa to do their job, then I don't have to explain you further, how hard it is for other races. This issue is not only limited to Eritreans. Many riders from former Soviet countries face the same issue. Same for many other nations in Africa and South America. As long as we can't get riders from all over the world to competitive races, who are often in Europe, a lot of riders will miss out to reach the top level. Most European nations have an open door policy towards illegal migration, so allowing people to come to do their job as an athlete should be possible too. That would offer more possibilities for people with good aims.

Passport matters more then results

Every year we see riders with decent results in pro races who don't get a contract anymore for the season after and often have to drop back to the continental level, club level or even have to retire. Very often, these riders are coming from countries where there is no professional team. A famous example is Mihkel Raïm. The Estonian rider won UCI races for 5 years in a row, but had to drop back from the World Tour level to the continental level because he couldn't find a team anymore while other riders who never won anything could keep competing in the biggest races. A lack of a big team at home had very likely an impact. Would a French, Italian or Belgian rider with same results have the same outcome? In the 2010s, teams from Central & Eastern Europe were common in cycling, but they disapearred over the years. The result is that we see a big drop of Central & Eastern European riders who can live from the sport. They have no environment anymore where they can develop for years like riders from the more traditional cycling countries can do. They instantly have to be exceptional like Pogacar or Sagan. Would Hungarian rider Atilla Valter still be a pro today if he didn't receive a chance at CCC? Fortunatly many Polish women have an opportunity to develop for years at the Mat Atom team. Would strong pros like Agnieszka Skalniak & Dominika Wlodarczyk have been able to make the step up to the World Tour if they didn't receive a chance to develop in these years before?

Clicks & connections

Sometimes when you struggle through cyclists profiles you can spot riders who didn't finish half of their races but they already proudly announced their contract for next season on their pretty social media pages. Then you see riders with decent results, but with way less following who have to beg on their social media to receive a new contract. If social media popularity (often based more on looks or personality) matters more to get a chance in a pro team then sportive results, then the sports is not inclusive towards a big group of talented cyclists who drop out of the sport early. There have been riders in the peloton who were more in the newspapers with their pretty social media posts, then with their race results. Riders should be based on their legs, not on their pretty faces, also by sponsors or sports directors.

Lack of vision

The international cycling federation (UCI) sees the globalization of the sport as key priority for a few decades already. But for that they often set the wrong priorities. Instead of looking towards countries with a potential amount of talented cyclists like Colombia, the USA, Canada or Rwanda, they prefer to put their eyes on countries like China or the UAE where there is barely potential. The thousands of potential cyclists in Colombia almost never have a chance to see their idols in real life. That makes that people can be feeling left out from the global stage and and lose interest in the sport or choose for another sport. Should we really prioritize countries who barely deliverd competitive cyclists over nations where enthusiasm for the sport already has showed so much potential despite almost no efforts by the established cycling world?

The financial barrier

In Belgium, France, Italy even junior riders often have bikes that costs multiple thousands euros. A price that is already high for many Europeans, even more for many Africans. While Europe has many countries with a big domestic high level calendar, Africa has only a few races of an international competitive level. This means that African cyclists have to make a lot of travel costs with a small financial reward. Traveling to Europe to race in even bigger races is almost completely a science-fiction for many of them. As long as there isn't more investment in African cycling, many talent will never be able to show their potential. The UCI could at least try to negotiate investment plans with African governments & private companies where the sport is popular. Every African cyclist or race organization that we can keep or bring in the sport will have a positive impact on African cycling. Same for other countries in the global south where cycling is popular. 

Cultural issues

Getting girls into sports remains still a big challenge in certain countries. In countries with low women's rights we often see a lack of girls in sports in general. But still in Europe we also see mixed results of girls into sports. Belgium is a dominant country in men's cycling for decades, but they could only win 1 world title in the women's category in the last 50 years and only 2 riders could win a monument in cycling since they came on the calendar in the early 2000s. The question is why such a cycling passionated cycling country could only deliver few women who could win a World Cup or World Tour race? On the other hand we see hopeful signs in Uzbekistan. Tashkent City Team will be the first female country from a Central Asian Muslim majority country that will take part in the Tour de France. It shows that steps can be taken with good will and in countries where there is already some amount of cycling or sports culture. It's important already at a young age to girls that sports are not only something for boys, but girls can also shine in it. Countries who struggle with this can implement this mentality more at schools and make local sports clubs more welcoming to girls. 

Presentation

Another way to reach audiences who are coming from a traditional cycling environment is presentation. The Formula 1 used to be a quite conservative sport with a stiff social media posts, but since a few years the sport invested a lot more in their social media image with a growing popularity as a result. The social media pages of the UCI already became a little more visual appealing but I believe that still more could be done. More popular video footage in short & long forms, a look behind-the-scenes or a better showcase of data could bring more visibility and spark more interest by young people. The sport also can use new exciting unpredictable concepts like the mixed relays on the Worlds to attract more interest by potential new fans. 

Conclusion

To make the sport more inclusive & global still a lot has to be done. There are multiple aspects and causes that lead that a lot of talent can't live from the sport, have to leave even before they come to their full potential or even doesn't find the sport between so many other exciting physical activities to practise. The issues often come from attitudes, financial situations or a lack of vision by others that often have an impact on young riders' chances in te sport. As long as these issues don't get solved, we will lose many talents in the sport and other athletes won't enter the sport as well. Nowadays, inclusivism is high on the list in many spaces, cycling shouldn't stay left behind and work on the problems that are around. 

 

Equal Prize Money : Close the Gap!

Close the gap!

The prize money between women & men in cycling has been an ongoing debate for a few years now. Already for decades, it became evident in many countries that men & women get rewarded the same amount of money for the same work. In the cycling world, this is still not completely true. Small improvements have been made but many organizations stay still behind. In this article we try to line-up where improvements have been made and who still has some work left to do. In the end we make a conclusion and express our ambition for the coming years. Let's start with our analysis by a few numbers & data.

Flanders classics paves the road toward equality

The Spring of 2023 was quite historical for women's cycling. For the first time a big series of women's races offered a big equal amount of prize money for both women & men. This meant that both Tadej Pogacar & Lotte Kopecky received 20 000 euros for their victory in the Tour of Flanders.  The female & male winners of the Omloop, Ghent-Wevelgem, Scheldeprijs,... also received an equal amount of prize money. 

ASO still has some work to do

The prize money of the Tour de France is still very unequal. Some will argue that the men are racing 3 weeks and the women only 8 days. But even for a single stage win, the difference is big. While the men earn 11 000 euros a stage, the women only get 4 000 euros when they cross the line first. For their other prestigious race Paris-Roubaix, it's not much better. 30 000 euros for the men, 20 000 euros for the women. One can argue that it's still the same amount as the female winner of the Tour of Flanders, but the 30 % gap within the same race is still something noticeable. We can also appreciate that ASO invested way earlier in women's cycling then their Italian counterpart RCS who still didn't bring Milan-Sanremo & Il Lombardia (back) on the calendar, but it doesn't mean that we can't put the bar a little bit higher for this wealthy organization.

Cyclocross, a lucrative alternative

For women with good technical skill that do not win monuments or grand tours on the road, cyclocross is a good alternative to win a big amount of money. Both genders can earn till maximum 30 000 euros in prize money for their placing in the World Cup standings and the winners of an individual race can win up to 5000 euros. Next to the World Cup there are many other races where riders can win a decent amount of prize money as well. Last year, Fem van Empel won a total of 126 000 euros in prize money, more then any men in this discipline.

Smaller iniatives

Next to these big amounts of money, there are also smaller organizations who work on equality on a smaller scale. The organization Nokere Koerse is an non-WT race who provides about 19 000 euros in total for both genders. The organization of the Women's Tour & the Tour of Brittain also agreed to offer equal prize money for both genders. 

Conclusion

The prize money for women has never been as high as nowadays but it's still noticeable lower then in many men's races. Some organizations have made steps into the right direction but others stay still behind. In times that gender equality became a high priority there can be no discussion anymore about rewarding equal prize money to women & men in at least the one day races & individual stages. Both women & men race for one day on the same day, so deserve an equal reward for the work they deliver. Some might argue that women ride fewer kilometers or slower then their male counterparts but also in the real job market, employees who deliver different results & performances receive the same salary. Prize money is not salary but it is also a reward for performances and hard work that can be easier equalized then the salaries that are even far apart within the men's & women's peloton themselves. Equal appreciation for both genders, let it also be a normal thing in the cycling world.