He women’s cycling competition has inevitably moved towards professionalization in the past year. By 2023, 8 out of 10 cyclists in the women’s peloton will need to combine cycling with another job to earn a living wage of at least €10,000 per year, according to data from The Cyclists’ Alliance 2023 Annual Rider Survey. Something that is almost impossible to train and compete on equal terms with some runners who have achieved that professional status.
But in 2024, which is about to end, the professionalization of the women’s peloton has reached 180º and is heading for total professionalization, especially in Spain. Especially because of historic decision of the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) at the beginning of this year, made it mandatory for Spanish teams to guarantee a minimum wage its cyclists to participate in major women’s competitions.
A measure previously applied to the teams included in the World Tour and which has been extended to many other teams, by including the Continental category (second division within the UCI competition regulations), and can also be raised the average level of runners and build races with a higher level and equality, generating greater expectations and follow-up.
To celebrate this milestone, Škoda, a brand that has always been linked to cycling and races such as the Tour or Vuelta, both in its men’s and women’s editions, has launched the documentary #DobleTrabajo, to see and recognize the effort What it means for Spanish female cyclists to reach the front line of professional cycling.
‘Double work’, the documentary, where can it be seen?
The documentary can be found on bicycleface.es and on Movistar+. This piece, designed by creative agency Proximity Barcelona and produced by Carmel, tells the story of 4 top-level cyclists, enrolled in UCI Pro and continental teams, that, thanks to this new proposal, They were able to leave their second job. The documentary describes these women in their two aspects: as professional cyclists and as workers in other diverse sectors, such as health, education, telecommunications or public administration.
Oh Usoa Ostolaza, current Spanish road cycling champion and physiotherapist, Yurani Blanco, Spain’s runner-up and early childhood educator, Isabel Martincyclists and teleoperators, and Martha Romeucyclist and politics.
In the case of the current national champion, until before the federation’s minimum wage regulations were approved, he combined two jobs: a cyclist and a physiotherapist. “I didn’t earn a single euro from my bike and that’s why I had to work on something else. But combine high-level sport with other activities in the end “Finally, you don’t do one thing or the other well.”explained Ostolaza, cyclist of the Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi team.
“You don’t rest, you accumulate a lot of stress and all that Mr“There is an accumulated fatigue that does not allow you to perform one hundred percent.”he said Martha Romeuthat until 2023 He had to work as a cyclist and as a Councilor for Education and Sports in Aldaia (Valencia).
I am in the same situation Isabel Martinthe young 25-year-old cyclist, who had to earn on the bike as a teleoperator and that accounts for the great difference between the women in the platoon who received a fixed salary and those who did not. “Your reality is very different from a real professional, who only works for a goal. You prepare a goal based on your time. “When I started cycling I lived as a hobby, you don’t even consider that this can be your profession as it was planned a few years ago,” explained Yurani Blanco, the current runner-up of Spanish Road.
Ask for time off from work to go to a career or training at night in the trainer due to working split-time during the day are extreme situations that these Spanish runners finally left behind in 2024. A drastic change in its conditions that ended up giving resultsas shown by the Ostolaza National Championship or Yurani Blanco’s first wins as a professional.
In addition to the documentary piece, the campaign has some surprises photographic portraits, made by renowned photographer Alba Duqueusing the image superposition technique, combining two images into one to express the professional duality with which cyclists have to live to this day.
BICYCLE FACE, THE INITIATIVE THAT PROMOTED THE DOCUMENTARY
“Dual work” is part of #BicycleFace, the brand’s initiative to empower women on two wheels and last year it already had a powerful campaign that featured the participants of the first Women’s Tour in history.
In that case, the aim was to redefine the term #BicycleFace, which in the 19th century was the name of a fictional disease aimed at preventing women from cycling, through images of cyclists in the middle of the race to show that on Today. The Face of the Bicycle is something very different: it is the face of female empowerment on two wheels.
These initiatives reinforce Škoda’s support for women’s cycling and can be found at bicycleface.es
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
