6th November 2023
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Women’s cycling is an area of professional sport that historically has not received much attention from the public eye, certainly in comparison to their male counterparts. While media attention has slowly increased in recent years (thanks in part to the creation of women’s teams under the same branch as some men’s teams), many still, consciously or subconsciously, view it as a secondary item behind the men’s.
In recent years, it’s been a small number of teams that have dominated the women’s cycling scene, perhaps none more notable than the Dutch outfit Team SD Worx – Protime.
But, this could all be changing with news of road superstar Demi Vollering’s transfer away from Dutch giants SD-Worx. The departure of Vollering, which shocked the cycling world when announced in late march, could bring not only more competition to the sport, but also far more media and public attention, potentially presenting the major step forward which women’s cycling has needed to break into the limelight.
Last year they amassed a whopping 62 wins, the most of any women’s team. Through the ‘Classics’ (one-day races frequent in the spring) they were dominant, winning some of the most prestigious races like the Tour of Flanders with now-world champion Lotte Kopecky and the oldest one-day race, Liege-Bastogne-Liege with the aforementioned Vollering.
In addition, they won the Tour de France Femmes, with Vollering dominating to become the overall winner. Kopecky also put on a show, winning the sprinter’s competition in commanding fashion. As stage racing goes (races held over several days), the list for their victories is almost too long to mention. Wins in Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands (to name but a few) more than cemented their title as the best women’s team.
It only takes a brief look at their roster of superstars to see the collective talent this team possesses. Currently riding for the team are four national champions, one world champion and one European champion, not including previous winners. And that doesn’t even mention the likes of Anna van der Breggen, the outstanding two-time world champ and double Olympic Gold medallist, who has won just about everything under the sun.
When their strongest squad is on display at a race, it’s rare to see a plain SD-Worx jersey that doesn’t bear the emblem of one of these victories.
Clearly, when it comes to women’s cycling, SD-Worx are the team to beat.
So this begs the question; why would Vollering leave?
Featured Image Photo Credit: Sabine Van Erp on Pixabay
A closer look at the team dynamics reveals some hidden pressures. With so many superstars in one team, the issue becomes not ‘how will we win’, but rather ‘who will we win with?’. Every rider will be wanting to win every race they take part in, and with only so many races in the season, a pecking order is established. The needs and wants of each rider clearly have become too much for the team. Priorities need to be put in place.
And with the team recently extending Kopecky’s contract until 2028, a clear message has been sent of who their leader will be for the foreseeable future.
The team likely to scoop up Vollering currently is FDJ-Suez, the leading French team in the women’s peloton. This presents a near-perfect remedy for the utter domination of SD-Worx.
With Vollering on a rival team, the best riders in the world will now be riding against each other, rather than with. Not only will this make the racing far more enjoyable to watch, as the unpredictability of the season will mean that guaranteed victories will be a thing of the past, it will surely bring a larger viewership.
Just as women’s football has broken into the mainstream as of late, with the Lionesses conquering the Women’s Euro Championships 2022, the increased level of competition in the sport brings a potential for it to be taken further into the public eye, at least in relation to the men’s sport.
And with broadcasters such as Eurosport and Discovery+ now making access to view these races online easier than ever, with almost every race in the season being available to watch, it seems the only way is up for an increased viewership.
While it’s not worth pretending that one transfer will burst women’s cycling (and cycling as a whole) into the forefront of public interest, it can certainly do much to improve the sport as a whole and reduce the disparity in public opinion between the men’s and women’s.
With news like this bringing hope for the future, there couldn’t be a better time to be a fan of the women’s game than right now.
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Header Image Photo Credit: Hilmar Buschow on Pixabay
