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news
Emma Pooley in the rainbow jersey (picture credit Melbourne 2010).jpgEmma Pooley says it's 'nuts' she gets more prize money from triathlon 'hobby' than pro cycling
Olympic medallist and former world time trial champion Emma Pooley says that her “hobby” of competing in triathlons is bringing her more money than her chosen sport. Given her palmarès, it’s a revelation that also underlines the huge gap in earning power between men’s and women’s professional cycling.
Pooley, who took Olympic silver in the time trial in Beijing in 2008 and won the rainbow jersey in that discipline two years later, has won races including the overall in the Grande Boucle Féminine – the women’s version of the Tour de France – and the Tour de l’Aude, as well as several World Cup one day races.
But she told BBC Sport’s Ollie Williams that a third-place finish last February in a half-distance Ironman triathlon event in the Philippines had brought her more prize money than winning any of those races did.
The 31-year-old, who won a blue for cross-country running and triathlon as an undergraduate at Cambridge before switching to cycling, says she isn’t motivated by money. However, the situation still strikes her as “nuts.”
"I don't do it for the prize money. I love sport," she said. "And if you'd like to print this I'd be very grateful, because I keep getting accused of being a whinger.
"I'm not trying to be whingy. I love sport and I know it's a privilege to do it, and that's why I do it - I've got the opportunity and I'm very grateful for it.
"But, occasionally, it seems strange when the prize money for coming third at a triathlon in the Philippines is more than the prize money I've ever won in a bike race. That's nuts to me."
Nor is it just in triathlon that she has won prize money exceeding that from any bike race she has won – last year, she won the Lausanne Marathon in Switzerland.
She won’t be returning to that event in 2014, saying: "No marathon running this year. I love running, but a marathon really takes it out of you for a long time."
Pooley is based in Switzeland and last year completed her PhD in Zurich in geotechnical engineering, taking time out of professional cycling as she finished her studies.
In November, she signed for Lotto-Belisol ladies – this week, she will be racing the Flèche Wallonne, which she won in 2010, as well as Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
It’s an unusual arrangement, with Pooley targeting specific major races such as the Giro Rosa in Italy, and the Belgian team letting her compete in those more lucrative triathlons including, in August, the tough Embrunman race in the Swiss Alps.
Speaking of the Flèche Wallonne, she said: "It's very up and down, narrow roads, twisty and technical. It's a stressful race.
"It suits me and it's a big one to win, especially as I'm on a Belgian team."
Pooley is one of the driving forces behind the campaign for equality in cycling, and together with Marianne Vos, Kathryn Bertine and triathlete Chrissie Wellington last year co-founded Le Tour Entier, which calls, among other things, for a women’s Tour de France.
While ASO, which organises the men’s event, hasn’t gone that far yet, it is putting on a women’s one-day race, La Course, which will see the world’s top female riders battle it out on the Champs-Elysées on the final day of the Tour.
"My dream for women's cycling is for there to be a similar level of racing available as there is for men - having a one-day race at every Tour is not the same thing. It's a great start, but there is more to be done."
Pooley is a member of the UCI’s women's cycling commission set up by Brian Cookson after he was elected president last September, but doesn’t see her future as lying in sporting politics.
"I didn't intend to become political," she explained. "It's just that people ask for my opinion and I give it. I don't have some burning desire to be the head of some federation or something.
"A lot of women get out of cycling administration, and team administration, because they're so fed up of it by the end - of making no money and of being seen as second best. And I think I don't want to carry on in the sport and be bitter about it.
She added: "I don't know if anyone would employ me. I think I'm seem as some kind of weirdo, radical feminist.
“I get the impression I'm really quite unpopular in some parts. So I don't know if I'd necessarily find a job."
Meanwhile, besides the potential earnings from triathlons, now she has a doctorate to her name, Pooley is looking to secure some income in that specialisation.
"I've got a perfectly serviceable degree, so I'm going to try to get some part-time work in engineering this year and next year,” she said. “I need to pay the bills."
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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54 comments
I'm not a foamy PC brigadier, however, I am a woman and I do race bikes and found your previous comments a little disturbing - insofar as I hope those views aren't too widespread. I would hate to bring a child into a world where the opinion that women can only be successful if they sacrifice their dreams is normalised - to be frank, we've been putting up with that crap for long enough. I couldn't give a rats arse about the sometimes vehement line of victimisation of women which some people take, I'm not a feminist, but I do work in technology and have experienced and witnessed what can only be described as savage behaviour toward women and even those who don't fit the standard confines of hetero alpha-male.
While I agree, footballers pay is disgusting, and there are huge injustices in the world, that doesn't excuse sexism (which, when it boils down to it, is what the problem is) - it's not merely a fact of "how things are" - it's 2014 for crying out loud.
Where did I say that "women can only be successful if they sacrifice their dreams"? All I said was if you want money then go where the money is. That's not sexist, it's just practical. It applies equally to men, women and everything in between.
I do photography. There's not too much money in it and I literally earn half now what I did 10 years ago when I was in engineering. That's ok though because I enjoy what I do now much more than I did back then. I'm self-employed, work from home and it means that I can go for a bike ride or play golf whenever I feel like it.
There's no point in me complaining that photography should be better paid though (like engineering is say) because it is market forces that determine the 'worth' of an occupation. Same with sport.
It's more the point that we're in a position where women still have to consider that, though. I don't mean you said that - but that's how it comes across, not necessarily just by you but in general. The sports still in a state where you have highly talented women being told by their peers, parents and management that "they'd best go to Uni as this isn't really a career choice" - it's shocking.
I did photography too and encountered exactly the same issues, it's a cutthroat world - but a male tog and a female tog will still get paid £50 for a quality print regardless of who took it.
It's not that we're complaining we don't get enough, money's money, we're trying to make ourselves heard in an environment where there is a clear gender imbalance - despite the fact that there *is* a demand for women's cycling.
No probs, let me answer that.
It's easier for one marketer to gauge the reaction of 100 people in a pub, than 100 marketers measuring the reaction of each individual. Also, there will be inter-reaction between the collective audience in the pub, giving further "intel". It's the same with record label scouts; they'll want to gauge the reaction of the group, not the individual.
With regards to your confusion about cost effectiveness, the commercial reality is that advertisers get a lot of exposure for their relatively limited investment in womens' cycling, but that there appears to be limited appeal in the wider advertising market. A bit of a glass ceiling, if you like. The problem with the LMNH example is that the audience are predominently cyclists, and advertisers want a wider potential audience for their money.
How many pubs do you know of that would tolerate cycling like that though? The TdF maybe, but most pubs will more than likely be full of football or darts fans who probably aren't too keen on the image of cycling. The LMNH example was purely because it's more likely than walking into the Bow Bells on a Sunday afternoon to see Cancellara shaking his purt behind up the Paterberg.
Sponsors get more money/value on investment for more views, which is why television is subsidised by advertising, surely that's more important?
You'd usually see unrelated sponsors making big investments in a sport, rather than sports being shown in unlikely places - i.e. how many cyclists are now aware of the Christina watches brand because of their new team? that's a whole new market.
So you watch Men's sport for the "sport" and women's sport for "eyecandy". Fine, do what you like. But don't make the assumption that is what everyone else is doing. You might just find others are watching the action. I know I am.
Triathlon also generally splits the coverage quite evenly between the men's and women's races. It helps that the races are held over the same weekend/same time and on the same course. Therefore the men are equally as "famous" as the women, across people who follow it. The real test will be if the women cross over into household names. I think cycling could learn some lessons.
There seems to be a strong current here of "Yes, the world is sexist, but that's just how it is, pointless trying to change it". To which I say: Um, no, that's rather the point here. Lets cause change.
Although here we're comparing "bike riding" with "bike riding", rather than different occupations.
this is quite simply a marketing issue, if the sports channels cover womans sport it would have more fans, which brings in more money, look at the percentage of coverage which is male compared to female its probably 90/10. I think there is an issue of males wanting to watch males and females also wanting to watch males but if you look at other countries USA especially they have laws on participation and coverage which drive the value of female sports up, were starting to get there in this country but probably 20years behind them.
Did you read the article? The 'compare and contrast' bit was the money Pooley won from gaining third place in her 'hobby ', a half ironman triathlon, compared to her winnings in her 'chosen profession' of bike racing.
Hm this is complex...
first sport in general is dominated by men and male fans and though this is changing the change is slow.
second programming for sport is controlled by men so sadly is the media and advertising.
even industries which are dominated by ladies such as fashion still have a disproportionate number of senior execs who are men who earn more than female counterparts.
So what we need here is a better understanding of both sport from a female perspective.
A female dominated audience for the telly coverage with product placement and therefore advertising budget and prize money ...im surprised that more clothing companies etc haven't worked this out how about a Marks and Spencers team
As to the eye candy issue i guess it depends on what sex you are and yes im both a male cyclist and straight and yes I work in the fashion industry...worth more than the total exports for arms or oil to the UK so theres plenty of cash there folks.
...
Lets just shelve those tired old prejudices please
Ironperson, surely.
A genuine question here, does the panel think cycling (in all its forms) would be as popular now without the efforts of sky ?
In my own humble opinion, I think back to when Mark Cavendish won sports personality of the year, I remember friends of mine (not into cycling) describing it as a bit of a "thin" year in terms of competition as the understanding of cycling and interest wasn't like it is now.
Along come team sky, with their slick branding, no doubt coincident with the Olympics, and hey presto, the profile of the sport is launched into the mainstream in the UK and a new hero is created (let's face it, getting a knighthood is a politician's populist reaction, in spite of his achievements).
My point is that I think it is possible to push profiles/generate interest but boy do you have to spend, plan and have a large element of luck. So yes change is possible but not without spending large amounts of money and a very slick marketing campaign.
Without Wiggins, Froome winning? Perhaps not. I can't recall anything changing much here in the 80s/90s when Robert Millar, Chris Boardman and Sean Yates were around. Generally. I don't know - that seems to be a government push to get more people to cycle for health reasons. Might be its prominence because of the success of British riders that cycling gets picked out in particular rather than other exercise activities. But maybe the Sky thing is the answer for more people riding racing bikes. And it did rejuvenate the Tour of Britain.
Seems to me few generally cared before that. Bikes were something you'd ride as a kid, or to get to A to B if you didn't have a car or were within commutable distance to work. Some people raced or joined cycling touring clubs. Bike shops opened and many closed. I remember when Channel 4 dropped its Tour de France highlights package in 2000 to make way for cricket and ITV didn't pick it up until half way through 2001 edition, and was only showing highlights at about 1 am or some other stupid hour in the morning. They didn't seem to care, even if some of us did and complained. Now it even gets the final stage shown live on ITV1 since 2012. I also think and despite what came later, Armstrong probably did a lot to change cycling as a spectator sport and people buying more bikes. Certainly raised its profile beyond Europe.
As for women's cycling - I remember watching brief highlights on the BBC of Nicole Cooke winning the Tour de France Féminin in 2006. That was as good as it got. If I recall, she was complaining at the time in interviews that nobody was covering her sport at all rather than the money situation. A lot has changed since for their sport in a relatively short period of time, and is continuing to change even if it still appears to be slow. I think maybe that has coincided, perhaps with cycling becoming more popular generally.
Hmm, you make some huge assumptions, but alas you are barking up the wrong tree. I never said I was or wasn't involved in pro cycling, but to shut you up, i'll confirm yes I am involved. I know one of the parties involved, as an ex boss, the other, yep I was trying to do a favour, as one, she's a fellow pom, and 2, I am friends with her ex in the town I live in.
Essentially she is a whinged, doesn't do anything to help the cause, just whinges, she has got a point, but if the sponsors don't want to support the sport, then find a way to make it happen, instead of whinging.
You don't hear Laura Trott, Vicki Pendalton, Anna Meares or even Marianne Vos whinge...
Yes you do!!!
This is the thing, I think it's been a natural progression over the last two years, since the Olympics - more women have been like "huh, this cycling lark ain't bad" - and in turn you see more and more ladies racing, meaning we have more and more demand for professional women's cycling. It's certainly improved.
Mind you I hear stories of the mid-late 80's having been a "golden era" of women's cycling, with equal races and proper professional level prize funds... I wonder if the whole Armstrong era kind of ruined things for the women's side as it became a very dominantly male affair with all that going on.
Hopefully this positive progression that's happening now will continue to pick up pace, rather than turn out to be a phase and lull.
Ok, turning this on its head... does women's racing truly deserve the same funding as the men currently?
Is there the same coverage, is there the same races, are the sports stars in the same demand?
The answer is no. That's not being sexist, its just where things are right now. Do things need to change... hell yes, are things changing... absolutely.
As mentioned above, the sport has made huge leaps forward in the past few years, and those leaps forward are going to pay financial dividends very quickly.
Build the sport, and you will receive.
This is not sexism, this is economics, simple supply and demand.
Mens cycle sport and womens cyclesport are essentially different sports. Different calendars, different histories, different events... this isn't Tennis or Triathlon where the men and womens sports have essentially grown at the same time and rightly receive the same coverage and financial support. Womens cyclesport is playing catch up. Yes there are loads of lessons from the mens sport that can shorten the process, but its catching up none the less.
In my opinion its sexist to assume that womens cyclesport should simply side swipe 60 years of history and development and start earning the big bucks simply by sexual right.
The great news is that things will improve drastically, and I believe it will happen soon.
I keep banging on about this point as I don't believe the sexism argument is the right one... I am a pretty average man, and cycling fan... and every time I am made to feel my support of cycling is sexist makes me less inclined to support womens sport, not more.
Get on to the UCI, and get it on our televisions... I'll then watch it, jobs a good un.
Who let her out of the kitchen?
Embrum (Man) is in the French Alps, not Switzerland.
Emma is one impressive all round athlete.
It's a shame that the ladies racing is not receiving the same coverage. Even at the recent classics, the ladies races were not receiving the same level of exposure (lacking live TV coverage!). The tour of Britain and tour series organisers seem very proactive in developing ladies racing in the UK, lets hope the racing continues to grow. It is very correct to expect standards of prize funds to match between male and female races. Triathlon doesn't have the history of cycle racing, yet it managed to get new races established and prize funds more balanced, so there is no reason to expect that ladies cycle races should take half a century before they can generate equal prize funds.
More exposure and balanced prize funds seems a fair and reasonable request and a good ideal to strive for.
Pro women cyclist go about as fast as a good cat 3 field. Look at the differences in distance and speed between women and men pros. I am all for equality in pay when there is equal work with equal performance. If women want equal pay as men then lets eliminate the different gender fields and have one race with one winner/payout.
No one wants to watch women's pro cycling otherwise the money would be there for salary and prizes.
@Bryin
Are you for real!
No one has a chance to watch women's pro cycling as the broadcast is limited to country's/Networks that will broadcast it.
Also when it comes to women pro riders, more often than not they are not paid on time or at all.
Time to stop treating women as third class people.
Best place i have found to keep me up to date with women's cycling
http://prowomenscycling.com/2014/09/10/two-updates-on-the-riders-treated...
I do, I watched the Womens Tour, Pearl Izumi series, the day of TdF, along with all the great cyclocross races I get on French TV. So, I guess what you mean is 'I, Bryin, do not want to watch women's pro cycling and I, Bryin, assume that the lack of support by the UCI and others equates to lack of interest in a viewing public with almost no access to show whether they are interested or not.' The market is not that perfect.
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