Each year The Cyclists’ Alliance completes a rider survey to gather data on the state of professional women’s cycling. They recently released part one of their survey results, which you can read here in our summary. Part two has now been released, which focuses on legal matters and ethics.
Legal Assistance
Of the surveyed athletes:
- 80% did not have legal assistance when signing contracts.
- The same percentage have signed only a 1-year contract.
- 71% accepted the original contract offered to them by their team/employer.
- 62% do not know if they own their image rights, while 70% do not know if they own their data rights.
- Financial reasons (58%), starting a family (40%) and pursuing career opportunities (37%) outside of racing are the main reasons to consider leaving the sport earlier than planned.
Agent Support
- 81% do not have an agent representing them
- The 18% which did have an agent to represent them gave the following reasons:
- Finding a team for the rider
- Contract negotiations with the team, including salary & performance bonus negotiations
- Resumé support
- Multi-year contract deals
- Personal sponsorships & endorsement deals
- Contacting the team on my behalf
- Dealing with issues with the team
- Building personal brand & profile
- Additional revenue streams
- Managing media requests
- Financial, taxation and VISA advice
- Opportunities post-career
Ethical Concerns
- 44% had been pressured into a decision or to race.
- 14% surveyed have felt unsafe in their team
