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The Cyclists’ Alliance has called on organisers and broadcasters to provide start-to-finish coverage of major women’s races, including the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Tour of Flanders. Its 2026 survey found that 49% of 127 respondents wanted greater race visibility; the union also highlighted safety concerns and financial insecurity among riders.
The Cyclists’ Alliance (TCA), a union representing riders in the women’s peloton, has called on race organisers and broadcasters to show the biggest women’s races from start to finish, citing its 2026 survey in which 49% of 127 riders said they wanted greater visibility. The demand targets events including the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Tour of Flanders.
The union’s ninth annual rider survey included 127 respondents, among them 118 road riders from the Continental, ProTour and WorldTour levels. The share calling for greater visibility rose to 60% among WorldTour respondents. TCA said the three named races are “pinnacle” events and urged their organisers and host broadcasters to commit to full live coverage.
Recent broadcasts have varied. Only the final third of this spring’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes was shown live, while three of the nine stages of the Tour de France Femmes in August received full broadcasts. TCA had previously described the Paris-Roubaix decision as a “massive affront to women’s cycling.”
The survey also identifies concerns beyond broadcasting. Among Continental-level respondents, 75% said they received no team salary and 79% said they were on one-year contracts. WorldTour respondents ranked race safety as their leading priority, including road conditions and course design.
Broadcast Access Shapes Women’s Cycling
Full live coverage can let viewers follow races as they unfold rather than joining only near the finish. TCA argues that the sport’s leading women’s events should not routinely receive less complete broadcasts than their men’s counterparts. More consistent coverage would also give audiences and broadcasters a clearer opportunity to follow tactics, breakaways and the outcome across an entire race.
The survey places that visibility debate alongside conditions affecting riders’ careers. The reported absence of salaries for many Continental riders and the prevalence of one-year contracts point to financial insecurity at that level, while WorldTour riders’ safety concerns focus attention on risks built into race routes and road conditions. The survey records riders’ responses; it does not establish the cause or scale of those issues across the entire peloton.
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Coverage Commitments and Recent Gaps
TCA’s appeal follows uneven television coverage at major events. Paris-Roubaix Femmes received live coverage only for its final third this spring, according to the report. At the Tour de France Femmes, three of nine stages were broadcast in full in August, leaving the other stages without start-to-finish coverage.
There are also signs of potential change. Tour de France Femmes race director Marion Rousse told Cycling Weekly that a “real discussion” about full coverage would take place in the future. The Santos Tour Down Under, the season-opening women’s WorldTour stage event, has committed to full coverage of its women’s race in 2027. That commitment shows one event has set a future broadcast plan, but it does not establish a broader policy across the calendar.
““Fans are asking to see the whole race, and the 2027 Santos Tour Down Under proves it can be done. Full start-to-finish coverage should no longer be the exception in women’s cycling, particularly at the sport’s biggest tentpole events.””
— Lexi Brown, TCA board director
Survey Limits and Broadcast Plans
TCA acknowledges that the WorldTour results are based on a small respondent group: 42 riders. The survey included 127 riders overall, but the supplied report does not establish that its findings represent every rider in the women’s peloton. The percentages describe those who responded, not necessarily the views of all riders.
It is also unclear which broadcasters or organisers will adopt TCA’s request, whether full coverage will be added at the three named races, or when any wider changes might take effect. Rousse’s comment signals discussion, not a specific promise. The Tour Down Under’s 2027 plan is the clear commitment reported, but details of its broadcast arrangements are not given.
Organisers Face Coverage Decisions
The next developments to watch are whether organisers and host broadcasters for the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Tour of Flanders announce full live coverage, and what comes from the discussion Rousse referenced. The Tour Down Under’s stated commitment sets a future point of comparison when its women’s race is held in 2027.
TCA’s full 43-page 2026 Annual Rider Survey is available on the union’s website. Its findings also place race safety and Continental riders’ financial conditions on the agenda alongside broadcast visibility, though the report does not specify what policy changes or timelines will follow on those issues.
Key Questions
What is the Cyclists’ Alliance asking broadcasters to do?
TCA is asking organisers and host broadcasters to provide start-to-finish live coverage of major women’s races, including the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Tour of Flanders.
What did the survey say about race visibility?
Of 127 survey respondents, 49% wanted greater visibility for races. The share was 60% among respondents who were WorldTour riders.
Which recent races had limited full coverage?
Only the final third of this spring’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes was shown live. Three of the nine stages of the Tour de France Femmes in August received full broadcasts.
Has any race committed to full coverage?
The Santos Tour Down Under has committed to full coverage of its women’s race in 2027. The report does not give comparable confirmed commitments for the other races named by TCA.
What other concerns did riders raise?
Continental-level respondents highlighted financial insecurity: 75% said they received no team salary and 79% said they had one-year contracts. WorldTour respondents ranked race safety as their top priority.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
