154 women are competing this year for the yellow sweater at the Tour de France Femmes. It is striking that no fewer than ten women from Brabant were at the start – good for more than 6 percent of the peloton. For former professional star and team coach Natascha Knaven-den Ouden from Galder, that is no surprise.
According to Natascha, cycling lives in our province more than in other parts of the country. According to her, cyclocross in particular is a real Brabant sport. From there, young riders go on the road.
Vos leader of change
The riders are partly due to Marianne Vos that there is a tour for women. Last Saturday she was still on the podium of the Tour de France Femmes with tears of happiness in the yellow jersey. For years she fought tirelessly for that tour for women.
In 2013 she was one of the initiators of a signature campaign to get the Tour de France back on the agenda. Due to lack of money, it stopped in 1989. Supported by no fewer than 70,000 signatures, the Tour came back in 2022.
A lot has changed since then. According to Natascha, the Tour de France Femmes has ‘won something internationally’. Women’s cycling gets much more media attention. The competition can be seen live in 190 countries and attracts millions of viewers. Something that attracts sponsors, makes budgets grow and makes teams more professional. The minimum salary for the riders has also doubled in a number of years.
Success without foundation
Yet, according to Natascha, we should not forget that there is still a very long way to go before women’s cycling is really equivalent to the men. The sport has grown enormously in recent years, but according to her many steps have also been skipped.
Like in the development of talent. “In the current situation it is very difficult for young girls to become a professional cyclist,” she explains. “You also see that it is not an international sport at all”. 34 of the 154 women in the Peloton of the Tour de France Femmes come from the Netherlands this year.
According to Natascha, the foundation for women’s cycling is not yet there. She also compares the situation with Venice. “Very beautiful and beautiful to see, but built on posts.” Teams are filled with riders who do not have the qualities to participate at the highest level. That leads to large differences in level, according to the team coach.
“If you look at the peloton, you will see that two speeds are driven,” she explains. “They don’t even ride in the front and yet they are unloaded from behind. You don’t see that at all with the men.”
Alarm bell
Natascha also sees that many competitions for the youth have disappeared over the years. They are crucial to gain experience and have fun in sport. That is why she is the alarm bell. “The international cycling association UCI only invests in the top, only in Venice.” The union is not concerned with the others, she says. The rinse therefore becomes very thin and the pressure on young girls to perform very high.
“It all sounds very negative. But I actually try to ensure that the sport will continue to exist and that it can continue to grow,” she explains. “We cannot continue to invest in a roof if the walls are not stable enough.”
If the ladies actually get equal opportunities, then women’s cycling will play a major significant role, she thinks.
Brabant Tour winner?
Leontien van Moorsel and Marianne Vos are legendary names in women’s cycling. Who is the next large Brabant cyclist? Natascha must think about that. “I think Lieke Nooijen is going to get very far, but it will take a long time before we have one like Vos. She is unique.”
She predicts that the new Tour winner will still be walking around on a football field. Maybe in Brabant. “Because that is now a much more accessible sport for girls than cycling.”