Prudential RideLondon has launched #PedalParity, a new social media campaign to mark its landmark 2016 edition where the world’s best female cyclists will be paid the same as their male counterparts.
For the first time ever, the Prudential RideLondon Classique – the UCI Women’s WorldTour race on Saturday 30 July – offers an identical 100,000 Euros prize pot to the men’s Classic, the world’s richest one day race, which takes place 24 hours later.
This equality in pay is a first in women’s cycling with Prudential RideLondon leading the way in redressing the financial gap in top level men’s and women’s events.
Prudential RideLondon winners Giorgia Bronzini (2014 winner) and Barbara Guarischi (2015) are actively backing the #PedalParity campaign which supports equal prize money across women’s cycling.
Britain’s world champion – and winner of last week’s Women’s Tour of Britain – Lizzie Armitstead and Olympic champion Marianne Vos, both of whom raced in Prudential RideLondon in 2014, are among the leading riders in the women’s peloton to back the campaign.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director for Prudential RideLondon, said: “We believe in equality in sport. We are proud to have made the prize money in the Classique exactly the same as the Classic, thereby making it the richest women’s one-day race in the world.
“With our #PedalParity campaign, we hope to encourage other events to follow our lead and recognise that the world’s best women’s riders should be rewarded equally with the world’s best men.
“They train as hard, race as hard and commit themselves to their sport just as the very best men do.”
Rochelle Gilmore, the owner and manager of Wiggle HIGH5, said: “To have parity will get people to view women’s sport as a professional sport and I hope it will open up the dreams for women wanting to become professionals.”
Gilmore, who will again be commentating on the women’s race for BBC television, added: “Prudential RideLondon is giving women the opportunity to go home with the most prize money they have ever won on one day. It makes the event really special.”
Seventeen of the world’s top UCI Women’s WorldTour teams have confirmed their participation in the Prudential RideLondon Classique.
The latest squads to confirm their line-ups include Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling team. The Swiss team includes the Finnish champion Lotta Lepisto who won the final stage of the Women’s Tour of Britain on Sunday and the South African national champion Ashleigh Moolman, who was second overall.
Dutch squad Rabo-Liv will be led by the Netherlands national champion Lucinda Brand while Heather Fischer will be at the forefront of the plans of American outfit Rally Cycling.
The UCI Women’s WorldTour race is part of Prudential RideLondon, the world’s greatest festival of cycling, with more than 100,000 riders expected to participate in events over the weekend of 30-31 July 2016.
The individual winner of the Prudential RideLondon Classique wins 25,000 Euros in prize money and the winning team is awarded 10,000 Euros. There will be three Continental Tyres Sprints classifications in the race offering a further 12,600 Euros in prize money.
The race will be shown live on BBC TV for the fourth successive year. It was the first women’s race in the UK, outside the Olympic or Commonwealth Games, to be broadcast live.
The organisers of the weekend festival of cycling will deliver an extensive community engagement programme with the support of TfL, the London boroughs on the route and Surrey County Council to help residents and businesses along the route plan ahead. This will include pre-awareness campaign posters on the transport network, a series of customer information emails and a leaflet drop in July to 1 million+ residents and businesses along the route. Information on travel disruption and advice will be available on www.tfl.gov.uk/ridelondon. To avoid delays over the event weekend, all drivers are advised to avoid areas near the event routes.