Pro Cyclists, family members, supporters, and cycling enthusiasts packed the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Fort Collins, CO Saturday, August 24th, 2013 to be a part of history in Women’s Professional Cycling – attending the official launch of the Women’s Cycling Association. The Women’s Cycling Association (WCA) is an organization that was created to bring about equality in the sport of women’s professional cycling. Robin Farina, 2011 US National Road Champion and WCA President, along with WCA founding members Jade Wilcoxson, Devon Gorry, Lauren Rauck Komanski, and Meredith Miller stood in front of the crowd and shared their passion and vision of a better future for women’s professional cycling, taking the same steps leaders like Billy Jean King did for equality in women’s tennis over forty years ago.
Emcee and Race Announcer, Dave Towle introduced the WCA Board of Directors as they talked about the WCA and unveiled their new logo and website. Jade Wilcoxen stated, “The basic vision for the WCA is equality, period,” she said. “What does that mean? If all of our daughters and younger sisters can go to a race like the USA Pro Challenge and see women racing and set a goal for themselves that, ‘I want to do that and ride professionally someday, and I want to be paid the same as the man for equal day’s work,’ we will have achieved our vision.”
Since the launch, the WCA is gaining momentum and support. The WCA recently secured a commitment from the Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic to provide an EQUAL prize purse for the women and men, and increased media exposure for the women through live streaming for the February, 2014 race, to be held in Merced, CA. With the official launch behind them, the Women’s Cycling Association is now on a roll toward the finish line, with equality in women’s pro cycling, as the ultimate prize.
The idea of the WCA was born this past June, when a small group of professional women cyclists met to discuss how to create equality in women’s cycling through increased media exposure, equal prize purses, and a minimum salary structure which would allow women to focus on the sport of cycling as a viable career. As a result of this meeting, a strong group of women from the professional peloton put their team allegiances aside and joined forces to form a network and advance policy with governing bodies to propel the sport of women’s cycling forward with the creation of the WCA.
Anyone who supports women’s cycling, and wants to see its advancement, can join or be a supporter of the WCA movement. For more information, please log onto www.womenscyclingassociation.org, follow the WCA on twitter @wca_tweet, or “like” the organization on Facebook at – Women’s Cycling Association.
Contact: Donna Feazell,Grunduski Group – 404-290-1929, donna@grunduskigroup.com
Robin Farina, WCA President – 828-719-1494, robin@womenscyclingassociation.org
