Chloe Hosking (Hosking Bikes) did not return to the Women’s WorldTour for a 14th year of top-level road racing in 2023, instead refocused on a more diverse schedule of racing, building her own bike brand and making her voice loud as an advocate for women’s cycling.
The Australian sprinter took to social media and her blog earlier in December to express displeasure with precedents set for pro cyclists’ salaries, safety and data protection when the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA), the non-profit association for pro riders, agreed to a new Joint Agreement for men with the International Association of Professional Cycling Teams (AIGCP). She called the agreement a “missed opportunity for riders”.
The president of the CPA, Adam Hansen, who also happens to be Australian, shot back on X (formerly Twitter) to say her blog post was a “nice article”, but pointed out a few details related to the women’s peloton and where solutions could be found, noting, “You have my number. Call me and we can work together to move forwards”.
“The sad thing is, I reached out to many women teams and gave them flyers to pass on to their teammates to contact us so we can create the women’s joint agreement together. Unfortunately, we did not get a single response,” Hansen said in his long response to Hosking.
Hosking, who is completing advanced studies to earn a law degree, spent 13 seasons as a pro on several UCI Continental and top-tier teams,before making an abrupt change to pursue racing ambitions in 2023 with her own team. Her pro contract for 2023-2024 “evaporated into thin air” when the B&B Hotels squad collapsed.
In January of this season, the veteran sprinter rode to third overall in Bay Crits and fourth in the criterium nationals in Ballarat, but did not ride for a big team. She then joined UniSA-Australia, a domestic team sponsored by the University of South Australia, to compete at the WorldTour’s Cadel Evan Great Ocean Road Race, an event she won in 2018. But there was no continuation with a steady paycheck from a big team on the horizon.
“I have had some conversations with teams and contract offers which I have said no to,” said Hosking in January. “I think I have been pretty vocal about women deserving a minimum salary and not having to race for less and I think my career also warrants a salary that is not just me scraping by on the poverty line. I don’t know why I should have to settle for anything less.”
Hosking created her…
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