While most of the attention in the cycling world is focused on the Tour de France at the moment, another GT will start on the weekend the 100th edition of the Tour departs on Corsica. It is the Giro Rosa, an 8-stage race around Italy considered to be the biggest race for female road cyclists.

One of the participating teams is the US national team, and Brianna Walle, in her first full season in the elite category, has shown enough to be selected for this team. Having only raced within the United States so far with her team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, she is looking very much forward to test herself against the best of the world – the last two editions of the Giro Rosa were won by Marianne Vos.

Unfortunately, the US women’s national team will be unable to pay her full expenses for the trip, as it struggles to find sufficient funding. Walle took to an internet fundraising site yesterday to reach out for help to cover the gap, and the good news is that within 24 hours, cycling fans have donated more than enough for Walle to fulfill her dream.

It is however saddening that Brianna had to do that. Women’s cycling is lacking far behind men’s cycling, and despite a few races having introduced equal prize lists, equality is still not on the horizon. Daniel Moreno, the male winner of this year’s Flèche Wallonne – which is one of the men’s bigger classics, but far from being the biggest – won 16 000 €. The female winner (Marianne Vos, of course) took home 1 128 €, less than one-fourteenth.

Presenting a UCI report on women’s cycling, UCI Road Commission president Brian Cookson – now a candidate for the post of UCI president – put the responsibility to develop female cycling more on broadcasters, media, sponsors and the public than on the sport’s governing body, a.o. saying that “if the public wanted to watch it, there would be more on.” Read more about the views of Cookson and the UCI here.

While Cookson is right that developing women’s cycling to a point where it’s healthy and sustainable – and riders don’t have to fund part of their expenses themselves to take part in the biggest women’s stage race –, everybody has to take action. But the sport’s governing body can and should do its part, as well.