'A massive affront to women's cycling' – Paris-Roubaix Femmes to get reduced TV coverage

The reduction in TV broadcast time for this year’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes has been described as a “massive affront to women’s cycling”.

The women’s race, now in its sixth edition, will take place this Sunday 12 April on the same day as the men’s race for the first time. As a result of the clash, TV coverage of the women's race will begin at 16:00 UK time – after the finish of the men’s race – with less than an hour and a half of the event, or the final 50km, expected to be broadcast.

Fans at home will therefore miss the opening two hours and 15 minutes of the race, which are likely to include the first nine of 20 cobbled sectors.

Last year, the women's race had almost double the TV broadcast time. The men’s race will be shown this Sunday in its five-and-a-half-hour entirety.

In comments shared with Cycling Weekly, Deena Blacking, the managing director of The Cyclists’ Alliance, an independent body that represents the women’s peloton, said her organisation is “very concerned” about the year-on-year reduction in TV coverage.

“As we all know, the sport needs visibility to be able to reach its fans and to grow its fanbase – and that means well-produced, well-commentated, well-timed broadcast time for races,” Blacking said.

“To take away key sponsorship time by reducing broadcast time in favour of the men's race is a massive affront to women's cycling and takes away from its growth.

“Having both races on the same day seems to have a negative effect. In the previous recent years, having the race on a different day allows for the women's race to have its own complete occasion. When the races are done on the same day, the women inevitably draw the short straw, including on start times, prime viewing times, and more.”

When the announcement was made this February to move both races to the same day, a spokesperson for ASO, the organiser of Paris-Roubaix, told Escape Collective: “Holding the women's race on Sunday ensures better TV visibility, with viewers benefiting from two finishes on the same day, just a few hours apart.”

Cycling Weekly has contacted ASO for comment.

UCI rules stipulate that women’s WorldTour events, like Paris-Roubaix Femmes, must have a live TV broadcast of at least 45 minutes.

In an impact report released last July, Zwift, the title sponsor of the Tour de France Femmes, said it is “vital that the sport gets the exposure needed to bring in the investment required”.

Movistar rider Cat Ferguson also commented on the topic of TV coverage of women’s races in her column for Cyclingnews this week, writing in reference to the recent Tour of Flanders, where 100km of the 164km women’s race were broadcast: “There's something to gain there by televising more of the women's race. We have to keep pushing for that, but the viewers and the general cycling community need to do the same.

“I think it would benefit women's cycling as a whole; the sponsors and all the partners who put the money in, but it would benefit the race, and make the race more exciting for the early breakaways to know that if they put themselves in a break from kilometre zero, then they're getting much more television time.”

Paris-Roubaix Femmes will start 13:45 UK time on Sunday, with TV coverage beginning at 16:00. The race will be shown on TNT Sports and HBO Max in the UK, NBC/Peacock in the US, and Flobikes in Canada. Read our TV guide for more info.