Women cyclists in the spotlight at 94.7 Cycle Challenge
'Historically women have struggled to gain equal recognition in sports'
The Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge has a reputation for promoting female cyclists and this year’s race will be even more focused on the women’s competition.
The Cycle Challenge is one of very few cycling events that offers female racers their own peloton and rewards the women’s winners with equal prize-money to the men.
To solidify their commitment to women in sport, event sponsor, Momentum is bringing International cycling sensation, Marianne Vosto Johannesburg for the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge this year.
The Dutch cyclist is a strong advocate for women’s participation and was one of the key roleplayers behind the La Course by Le Tour de France race, which was a women-only event held for the first time this year during the Tour de France. She also won the race.
Marianne will ride in both the Cycle Challenge on Sunday 16 November and the warm-up Twitter Ride, where she will be joined by all the top local ladies teams and some of the biggest names in South African cycling including Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, and Tour de France Yellow Jersey winner, Daryl Impey..
Supporting women in sport is part of Momentum’s culture, says sponsorship manager, Carel Bosman.
“We are very proud of our long-term association with Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, and we are excited to host Marianne Vos in South Africa for her debut in the Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge”.
“Historically women have struggled to gain equal recognition in sports, but great strides are being made in allowing women to excel in cycling and we are glad to be able to contribute towards driving this shift,” says Carel.
In 2014, Marianne has won Girod’Italia, Femminile in Italy, the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Champsand placed first overall in the Women’s Tour .
Earlier this year, Momentum announced a continuation of their long-term support for international cycling champion Ashleigh Moolman Pasio – last year’s winner of the women’s section of the Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge.
“In Ashleigh, South Africa has a world-class cyclist,” said Bosman. Momentum’s sponsorship will take Ashleigh all the way to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.”
Both women will be in town to mentor local ladies teams and cyclists have a rare chance to cycle alongside these athletes by joining the Twitter Ride, a 40km warm up event ahead of the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge.
The Twitter Ride will depart from the Cycle Challenge EXPO at the Coca-Cola dome on Saturday 15November. Participation is free, although capacity is limited. Those interested are encouraged to follow on @Momentum947 – #CC2014 for Twitter Ride details and updates.
