The moving market, also known as the nonsense season, is officially open, meaning that the groups have begun to make plans for the 2021 season. Much of these plans include the complex paintings of replenishing their lists. More than six hundred elite women are eligible to compete with one of 55 recently registered elite groups: 8 WorldTeams and 47 continental groups. The number of groups that can be replaced and a new skill arises the year. The big question is: how do all the puzzle pieces in the women’s moving market have compatibility together?
Cyclingnews met with new UNIO Women’s Team Association president and WorldTeam Canyon-SRAM owner Ronny Lauke, Continental Squad Drops owner Bob Varney and The Cyclists’ Alliance founder Iris Slappendel to learn more about the inner workings of the women’s moving market. he also spoke to Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (CCC-Liv) to learn about the pilot’s perspective.
The first component of the women’s moving market positions series will highlight the timing of moving windows, how to apply for a position on a team, the ins and outs of contract negotiations, wage ambitions and ICU points. At the center of the discussion, we will first introduce you to the design of women’s professional road cycling.
The women’s squad has undergone new reforms that officially came into force in January 2020. Lately there are 8 global groups, but the goal is to build a maximum of 15 groups over the next 3 years. These groups will be offering a number of riders. ranging from nine to 16 runners, which will accumulate between 10 and 20 runners in 2022.
The 8 WorldTeams that have four-year licenses this year are Mitchelton-Scott, Canyon-SRAM, Alé BTC Ljubljana, CCC-Liv, FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, Movistar Team Women, Team Sunweb and Trek-Segafredo.
WorldTeam’s prestige is accompanied by increased monetary needs such as a multiannual sponsorship guarantee, a minimum wage of 15,000 euros (salary) or 24600 euros (independent), as well as social security and maternity leave. equivalent to the male continental professional level, recently set at EUR 30855, until 2023.
The ICU also offers a multi-level racing schedule, and in a healthy season, 23 times are from the women’s WorldTour. There are also about 20 events in ProSeries, 25 Class 1 events, and 30 Class 2 events.
The ICU stipulates that Women’s WorldTour events are open to women around the world and on the continent, with 15 to 24 participants. The 8 WorldTeams get automatic invitations to WorldTour events.
Continental teams that are among the 15 most sensitive in the first UCI World Ranking of the season, which is calculated based on the sum of their runners’ numbers and published at the time of Monday in January, also get automatic invitations to WorldTour occasions and those teams include Boels Dolmans, Parkhotel Valkenburg , Ceratizit-WNT, Valcar-Travel
The remaining Wildcard invitations are based on the team’s overall rating of ranked groups from 16 to 40. Then career invitations fit continental, national and regional groups at ProSeries events of decreased point and elegance 1 and elegance 2.
Team cyclist contracts are established from January to December. There are two movement windows in professional cycling: the first is the mid-season market, which runs from June 1st to July 15th, and the time is the movements from season to season. , ranging from July 1st to November 1st. It is worth noting that in the maximum contracts, there is a date when an existing team will have to tell a broker their intentions, and vice versa, if it has not yet renewed, which is September 30 for WorldTeams.
Lauke showed that the groups had already approached some runners almost a year in advance, and sometimes much more than in previous years. However, the popular moving season revolves around the move window from season to season. each other as of March and then pronouncing the list of signings in August.
Lately, WorldTeams have a four-year license and sponsorship guarantee, so those groups tend to renew their most productive drivers before the season. Places in the WorldTeams would possibly be rare, for example, Canyon-SRAM recruited 15 riders in the end. reserved only one place for Zwift Academy winner Jessica Pratt. In addition, the groups are starting to offer multiannual be offers, i. e. those corresponding to the Olympic cycle, further cutting the area reserved for groups.
Mitchelton-Scott recruited a new cyclist last year, FDJ New-Aquitaine Futuroscope and Trek-Segafredo hired two new riders, Movistar Team Women hired 3 and CCC-Liv and Sunweb signed four. This was not much movement in WorldTeam level.
“I’m starting to look in June or July for cyclists who are in good shape or interested in next season,” Lauke told Cyclingnews. “Runners prepare us and start sending resumes starting in March. Last year we had 70 programs, via email or WhatsApp. Generally, we already have a concept of a driving force that can have compatibility in our organization and our team.
At the continental team level, Varney said he had won more than a hundred runner programs for a spot in Drops Pro Cycling in one season. “Some emails are personalized and others are generic. I respond to both CVs because it’s a component of the task I love,” Varney said.
Brokers from all over the world will be able to choose from several offers, if they are in the market; However, most brokers make the most of paintings on their own when it comes to submitting resumes, engaging in discussions and marketing their price to teams. .
The maximum technique that is not unusual is the word of mouth and the use of connections within the platoon. Many brokers regularly send emails directly to the team leader. They also talk to their teammates and other team members to discuss possible vacancies in the teams. .
It’s also not unusual for runners to take a sports director on a run and ask if the team is looking for positions on their list, what kind of runners they might be looking for, such as a climber, sprinter or assistive runner, and then let them know they’re looking for a team.
Young riders who are just starting to walk through the door of the professional racing circuit tend to apply to groups with formal canopy letters and a resume. On the other hand, veterans of the game tend to rely more on their relationships and present themselves. and introduce each other to team leaders.
We will highlight the pros and cons of hiring an ICU-qualified agent in the moment component of this series of articles, however, it is sufficient to note that while agents are increasingly popular among the female platoon, runners do not use the facilities. of agents as in the men’s platoon during the moving market season.
“There have been more agents in the last two or three years representing the runners, not all agents are the same, I have learned it, but everyone is looking to get the most productive for the runners. We have to settle for them and communicate with them, they, ” said Lauke.
“However, I don’t think the market or the women’s cycling landscape right now will allow an agent to make a big difference in terms of what the cyclist would earn. It’s still so limited [financially] that a women’s team can’t just contribute a lot of money.
“I think the right agent, and there are intelligent agents in female cycling, prepares the athlete’s CV that highlights their current status, their potential and advises an athlete. The right agent works with an athlete for him to build a career, personality or brand. “
Slappendel pointed out several vital reasons to run with an agent, such as negotiating on behalf of the broker, verifying contracts to make sure they are correct, and offering the broker vital wisdom about what he is entitled to in his contracts. “The intelligent agent provides the pilot with a little more wisdom and power,” he said.
The ICU World Ranking is calculated on the basis of all occasions in the ICU Women’s International Route Calendar during the season and, in general, the sum of its runners’ problems determines a team’s overall ranking during the season. transferred mid-season, the problems remain on the team where he scored the problems.
However, the ICU published a mobile ranking of the ICU women’s world team before the start of this season, at the time of Monday in January, to establish the initial ranking order of the 40 most sensitive teams. [The ICU replaced this document in June 2020 – ed. ]
As this season approaches, many groups have tried to get the 15 most sensible out of this first ratings post, in order to automatically save invitations to the most important occasions. WorldTour occasions were forced to give automatic invitations to the 8 WorldTeams, and in addition, automatic Invitations went to continental groups that are in the 15 most sensitive of the rankings. This has made runners with more ICU problems a valuable asset for second division groups. The problems of a continental team were also vital if they wanted to apply for a WorldTeam license, as they would, in part, be assessed based on the number of problems brokers had in general over the past year (of any team), as well as other moral requirements.
“It is the valuable maximum runners who sign up first. The formula is not wonderful because the price is given to UCI points. Being in the highest sensible 15 of the global ratings is the most vital thing for a team because you get automatic invitations to all. big races, and that means that all groups can plan their lists and solve logistics in advance,” Varney said.
“Other groups [outside the 15 most sensible] are asking for wildcard invitations for races, so it’s hard for them to plan, get reasonable accommodation, or set up accommodation. It is not easy to set up an accommodation for the Tour of Flanders when you would Possibly only know if it runs two or 3 weeks before.
“Troubled runners have courage. Larger groups have larger budgets and can indicate who they want, within moderate limits. Runners know they will be guaranteed a WorldTour racing program, so all WorldTour donations are concluded first. “
“The [continental] groups ranked runners 8-15 with the problems so they can stay in the 15 most sensitive, or do math feverishly to see if they have more problems than any other team. We’ve been betting those games for a while, however, it’s not easy, and when you don’t have money, it’s impossible. “
Lauke agreed that the ICU’s problems are important, but said it focuses on the sum of Canyon-SRAM’s problems at the end of the season and uses that number to assess the overall good fortune of its runners.
“I haven’t been a point hunter as a sporting director. Some problems may arise from a broker, but it’s not that you’re just for problems for a leaderboard. I may have to replace that in the future, still. “for now, it’s never been a target, ” said Lauke.
“For the invitation to racing, the problems were more vital last year, before the WorldTour [reforms]. We’ve had enough problems.
“Problems are vital to me towards the end of the season to show the [strength] of the team we’ve built. When the team can prove that it has won more problems than in the past, it is an indication that it has made the right decisions and the team is on the right track. In this way, it has already accumulated smart problems for the future, and then it can carry a young driving force [to the list] that has time to grow ».
Points for the overall qualification of individual runners are accumulated according to a slippery 52-week schedule and are independent of their team. After the initial rating is published in January, the rating is set to 0 at the start of the season.
Moolman-Pasio believes that the formula of existing problems tends to erroneously concentrate on the price of brokers and leaves out vital paintings and the price of national brokers. roles so that the team can use each other’s topics to advance the ranking.
“General problems are important in a way because their price as a broker depends on your problems; the more trouble you have, the more valuable you are as a runner, ” said Moolman-Pasio.
“This is where your bargaining force regularly comes into play. It is beginning to change, and some groups are becoming less and less involved in the issues, especially the groups in great depth. However, in some groups, topics are vital because groups with the most productive topics are invited to all races, so they have to carefully build their groups and decide who the runners are with the themes in order to reach the race.
“Usually a runner takes the [individual] problems with him, which can be a delicate point for groups, and that’s why groups don’t run runners in certain races. Let’s say a team finds out you’re leaving, but you’re one of the most sensitive scorers, they probably wouldn’t take part in strategy races for you to win because they want trouble getting the other runners to win for the team to help maintain their ranking. That’s the challenge and that’s why there are challenges with marginalized runners if they leave.
“It almost makes sense for groups to keep trouble if a running back leaves. Somehow, if I had a lot of trouble because I’m a smart player, groups let me know because they can see that I’m a smart player. ” and next year I would win the trouble for them. Problems show your potential, but removing them from a team that has invested in you is a bit unfair. They paid for you to move on to the race and they gave you the opportunity to win some problems, and a runner never wins problems alone, he wins them through a team effort.
“Domestics are also valuable runners, and not all of us can be race winners. Female cycling will be seen in more demonstrations on television will recognize the harsh paintings of national painters, who are not being noticed. If no one sees the race, a The Runner is as smart as its effects on paper or its points, because no one can see the entire races and how they unfold. Domestics want to be identified and paid for the paintings they make. “
Update: The ICU Steering Committee, the ICU’s Global Women’s Team, slipped the rating in June 2020, replacing it with the new Article 2. 13. 006 participation in the UCI WorldTour Women which now states:
Participation 2. 13. 006 For the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the organizer of an UCI Women’s WorldTour event will have to invite 15 teams, as described below. As of the 2022 season, all UCI Women’s WorldTeams must be invited through the organizer.
For the 2020 and 2021 seasons, all UCI women’s world teams must be invited through the organizer. A number of continental ICU women’s groups corresponding to the remaining number of invitations required, based on the overall ranking of the ICU women’s team, calculated on the last day. last season [it is no longer the time of Sunday in January] – you must also be invited through the organizer.
The organizer will have to settle for the registrations of the mentioned groups that have definitely responded to an invitation.
There is a large gap between Women’s WorldTeam budgets and continental teams. The average high-level team can have a budget of between 1 and 3 million euros consistent with the year.
There are continental groups that manage a budget, such as Boels Dolmans and Ceratizit-WNT; However, this is not representative of the maximum budgets for second-tier teams, which are more maximum probably for frames with a footwear budget of between € 100,000 and € 500,000 per year.
The salary or allocation portion of a team’s budget will play a role in determining the running back point that an organization can pay. The minimum wage for next year for WorldTeams is € 20,000 (salary contracts), however, the monetary reimbursement between groups can range from $ 0. € 20,000 to € 30,000, and very few earn more than € 150,000.
“Unfortunately, there is an immediate decrease in women’s cycling after the 10 most sensible runners, which can be in diversity from 70,000 to 150,000 euros, but perhaps this has been extended to the most sensible 20. There’s more intensity in the package”. now and things are changing, and [your salary] is rarely based so much on your overall rating. In the past, the overall rating was the pinnacle, but keep in mind that groups recognize the price of potential. “
Continental groups are not required to pay athletes’ salaries, some do, while other smaller groups would possibly offer their runners a lower monthly allowance.
“We don’t pay our brokers a salary. In our 4 years, we paid salaries for two years, and then for two years we didn’t pay it,” said Varney, who partnered with Women’s Sports Group to secure a new sponsorship investment that would allow the team to apply for a three-year Women’s WorldTeam license starting in 2021.
“It’s widely documented that I don’t think it’s enough, and we’re desperately looking to pay a salary. We pay all the expenses of our brokers such as travel, flights and all costs. Once they are with us in a race, I pick up everything fresh.
“What I didn’t know, however, was that not all groups [pay the prices of work],” he added. “I have had more sensible passengers from smart groups who are quite surprised that we have paid all their fares. We had corridors stranded at airports due to cancelled flights, and we only accommodated them in a hotel, no matter what, you have to take care of the broker. Not all groups would. Some contracts [in other groups] did not cover all of their expenses. “
Varney also noted that, on occasion, a cyclist has applied for a monetary sponsor, although this does not happen in women’s cycling. Joscelin Lowden joined Drops Cycling in May last year and hired Itelligence, an NTT DATA company specializing in SAP solutions, as a monetary sponsor. “Joss works for Itelligence, and they sought to sponsor the team. It was a sponsorship agreement. They sought to publicize gender equality and reduce the gender pay gap. Joss still works part-time with them, and it was a clever story for them to say that their workers were healthy. It worked for Joss, Itelligence and the team, and it was a genuine sponsorship deal. “
Once a team’s control has reviewed all the programs and thought about their annual budget, overall rating and emissions targets, as well as the number of posts on the list they intend to complete, the consultation is: how do who gets the job do???
Lauke said the groups take into consideration and compare elements such as runners’ results, physiological tests, level, age and team desires as components of their hiring decision.
“Of course, the groups will take a look at the effects and wonder: Is a runner consistently in the most sensible 10 or the 5 most sensible, and how do you get on the podium?We’ll also look at her age and what kind of team design she was in the past and ask: was she fighting for herself or was she already in a team design?Could you benefit from the compatibility of smart teamwork?These are all the things we want you to see when you’re interested in a broker. draw our conclusions about the pilot’s strengths and how the forces will have compatibility on our team,” Lauke said.
Lauke said the moving market is a two-way street and that smart groups will also offer methods for a broker’s growth, progression and long-term goals.
“We are also looking to identify cyclists who have already had good luck in their races but who have even more prospects to develop. The ideal of the team is also to realize what our cyclists are able to do, who they are and them. “to paint with the runners we have on our team and give them stability, to watch them grow and get effects either on a podium or by placing a winner,” Lauke said.
However, the decision-making procedure varies from team to team. In some groups, control will have the sole discretion to hire, while other groups will settle for runners’ comments before bringing a new athlete on board.
“We have an organization of managers who are talking about a potential broker and how he would have compatibility in our team. We also talk about weaknesses and we are looking to rent a broker who can eliminate weaknesses. We are also a broker with more prospects to build at the highest level. “Lauke said.
“We’re talking about a possible runner with the whole team, to see what [the other riders] think about the new athlete and how they can have compatibility on our existing list. It’s vital to us. We need our existing riders to feel good. “-Insured and safe in their own positions. We need our riders to feel part of the team and make their reviews vital. “
Varney said he filled his team’s positions with progression drivers. It will seek youth skills on smaller occasions or at the world road championships to locate athletes who can also grow with their progression program and who may not yet be looking. a salary.
“Last year we gave up [in search of cyclists with UCI points] and tried to locate the most productive young cyclists possible. A career program and we check to get it right. “
Signing the contract itself is one of the maximum stages of the moving market season. Women’s cycling has grown to the point where WorldTeams has been forced to offer popular ICU contracts for employed and self-employed athletes. that athletes can now feel a little safer knowing what they are signing and that the vital parts of their contracts are in order. There is also a contract style for continental groups; however, adjustments are made each season.
“Not all brokers have managers or agents who can disclose them about manipulations or abuses imaginable or that team leaders look at each other with the fact that runners don’t have the wisdom to handle the small details,” Moolman-Pasio said.
“I used to ask my husband or father to review my contracts and now I paint with an agent. Fortunately, in my early years I never lost or cared about a team that deserved it, however, it’s imaginable that this makes all the difference of having an agent because he specializes in contracts with the townhouses and knows exactly what the contract deserves to be and warns when something goes wrong, and it’s up to them to negotiate the contract because it’s rarely embarrassing to be in the position of negotiating your self-esteem. Sometimes, as women, we lack a little confidence to challenge a team leader in the small details. “
According to the Cycling Alliance survey, last year, more than 85% of women did not use an agent or lawyer to review their contracts before signing on the dotted line. This is a vital factor that the Women’s Association is trying to address through effort. to teach athletes about their freelance and worker contacts through its new contract monitoring platform. The platform is an online resource designed for the business wisdom of riders and their knowledge of their contractual rights in the professional cycling frame.
Slappendel told Cyclingnews that more and more athletes are starting to seek recommendations on their contracts to their association, agents and lawyers. He said that last year, 20 cyclists had called for recommendation on contracts and that this year, 35 cyclists had already asked for comment on their contracts. contracts for 2021.
“We don’t negotiate for brokers, but we answer questions about minimum wages, regulatory problems and popular contracts. We check their contracts to make sure they’re okay or not,” Slappendel said.
Lauke said the component of the signing procedure between team control and cyclists includes assembly requesters in the user before signing an agreement.
“It is a priority for me to meet with them in user to sign a contract,” said Lauke. “I prefer to meet the broker in user because you do not know the brokers very well founded in the emails. I think you get more data. ” and a greater concept of who you rent to when you can meet them as a user “.
Slappendel urges cyclists to make sure they have a concept of where they should pursue a race in cycling and to consider which facets of a team are vital to them before accepting donations or signing documents. “Enter each and every negotiation with a plan; Perceive what’s vital to you and find a team that matches your ambitions. It’s not just the salary but the total that you want to be taken into account.
In the moment component of our series on the women’s moving market, Cyclingnews examines the inner workings of hiring and relationships with agents. We spoke to UCI-qualified agents Emma Wade of Bespoke M and Jamie Barlow of Trinity Sports, as well as Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon- SRAM) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (CCC-Liv) for a runner’s perspective. We’ll also take a closer look at The Cyclists’ Alliance’s most productive tips for finding a contract and how to be a professional cyclist.
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