"You have to compare what is comparable" - Tour de France Femmes director explains prize money pot size

Yet another exciting edition of Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift came to a conclusion on Sunday with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot as an overall champion. Her victory earned her €50.000 in prize money, a tenth of Tadej Pogacar's reward (€500.000) for winning the men's race. According to race director Marion Rousse, it's not really surprising, nor should we frantically pursue equal prize money pots for the time being.

"We need to acknowledge that women's cycling was almost non-existent just four years ago," Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift race director Marion Rousse said to Clapping Media. According her, it's already a massive success for the women's cycling that there are many professional teams where riders can make decent living out of cycling.

Compared to past, it's still a massive milestone. "There was no salary structure in place, and women were professional cyclists but often had to work during the day to earn a living. The most important thing is being able to live off your passion rather than just focusing on prize money that does not provide for a sustainable income," Rousse added.

For Rousse, the current state of affairs makes sense, with men's race spanning across three weeks while women "only" do nine stages. "We're comparing the men's Tour de France, which lasts three weeks, with the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which lasts nine days. Of course, you have to compare what is comparable."

"When you compare the prize funds, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift actually boasts a larger prize pool than the Critérium du Dauphiné for an equivalent number of race days," Rousse explained.

Before more money is pumped into the event, and before plans to extend the race up to three weeks, some steps should not be skipped Rousse knows. "We need to consolidate the event first, because if the Tour were to stop next year, it would be a disaster for women's cycling, which has been developing strongly year after year," said Rousse.