World champion Brown, president of The Cyclists' Alliance talks about new structure for women: "They must not be left behind"

Grace Brown may be retired from cycling, but the 32-year-old Australian is far from exhausted. This year, she became the World, Olympic, and Australian time trial champions. As if that wasn't enough, she triumphed in Liège-Bastogne-Liège after a dazzling solo of almost seventy kilometers. Retiring at the very top takes courage and ability, but Brown doesn't just disappear. She takes on the role of president at The Cyclists' Alliance (TCA).

"The role of president was the perfect opportunity to continue to have a positive impact on women's cycling," Brown says in a recent Q&A on the Instagram account of TCA, a cyclists' union that supports athletes with contract and training advice, career guidance, legal help, and retirement advice. Moreover, they strive to level the playing field.

"TCA's mission aligns with my vision and passion for cycling, women's sports, and gender equity. The role of president was the perfect opportunity for me to continue having a positive impact on women's professional cycling despite stepping away from racing," Brown says.

Women's cycling has rapidly developed since Brown signed her first pro contract with Wiggle High5 in 2018. A good example is when UCI announced in 2020 that Women's World Teams would be required to provide a minimum salary, a maternity leave clause, and other guarantees, such as insurance, in their riders' contracts.

"I had a relatively short career in professional cycling, but at that time, I witnessed huge changes in the sport. The most tangible change has been rider salaries, which have quadrupled for high-value riders in the past 5 years. We are also seeing teams with greater resources across the board. One of the best changes has been the increase in broadcast of women's races, which in turn has brought more fans to our sport."

The UCI confirmed at a recent WorldTour seminar in Nice that Women's ProTeams will be introduced in 2025. This will make the women's structure the same as the men's. Seven women's teams have since applied for the new ProTeam status.

It is, in theory, a good development, but it may cause difficulties for the continental teams. "Despite the positive growth of the sport, there are still some areas that are lagging. We are particularly aware that growth at the top doesn't always trickle down. For example, the conditions on Continental level UCI teams still leave much to be desired, with many riders without a salary. We want to ensure this cohort of women are not left behind, especially because they are in an important and vulnerable development phase of their careers," Brown told us.

Rider safety also remains a key focus of the TCA's strategy. "With the level of the women's peloton increasing each year, the sport's dangers are becoming more prevalent. This is something that all stakeholders in cycling, including riders, need to work together on improving," Brown concluded.