The Death of Independent Media in Women’s Cycling: The Struggle for Truth and Unbiased Reporting

The narrative of professional sports is crafted through many lenses. In men’s cycling, a robust combination of independent media, team-created content, and organization-driven promotion builds a multi-layered tapestry that gives fans insight, nuance, and drama. In women’s cycling, a concerning trend has emerged: the growing dominance of team-created and organization-driven content, leaving less room for independent voices. This has led to a diminishing diversity of perspectives, creating a sanitized version of women’s cycling that may look polished but lacks the depth, rawness, and transparency that made independent journalism crucial.

The rise of content creators within teams and organizations has, on the one hand, helped amplify women’s cycling, bringing visibility and professionalism that the sport sorely needed. However, the unintended consequence has been the slow but steady erosion of independent media outlet, which once played a vital role in providing unbiased reporting and holding teams and event organizers accountable. Today, women’s cycling is in danger of becoming an echo chamber, where narratives are controlled by those directly involved in the sport. This article explores the challenges faced by independent media, the implications for the future of women’s cycling, and the struggle for the soul of this sport in the digital age.

Teams and Organizations: The Rise of Internal Content Creation

The increasing trend of teams and race organizers having their own in-house content creators has fundamentally changed the landscape of women’s cycling media. SD Worx-Protime, Movistar Team, and Trek-Segafredo, among others, have invested heavily in content production, creating slick videos, behind-the-scenes documentaries, social media posts, and press releases that paint their teams in the best possible light. Race organizers like the ASO (Tour de France Femmes, Paris Roubaix), RCS (Strade Bianche, Giro d’Italia Women) and Flanders Classics (Ronde van Vlaanderen) have also embraced this model, churning out race highlights, interviews, and curated content to engage audiences.

At first glance, this trend seems beneficial for women’s cycling. It means more content, more visibility, and an increased professional image for the sport. Social media platforms are flooded with beautifully edited videos of training camps, meticulously crafted race previews, and polished interviews with star riders. The teams and organizations have the resources and incentive to present themselves in the best possible way, making women’s cycling more appealing to sponsors, fans, and new audiences.

We often hear teams and race organizers say: “The growth of women’s cycling depends on how well we can market it. Content creation is a huge part of that, and we’re doing our best to showcase the riders, the events, and the excitement of the sport.” While this is true, it only tells part of the story.

The reality is that this content is curated, controlled, and meticulously managed. Teams decide what stories to tell, which moments to show, and how to present their riders. The result is often a glossy, sanitized version of reality that omits the messy, controversial, and sometimes ugly side of professional cycling. When everything is polished, the cracks are hidden, and fans are left with a one-dimensional view of the sport.

The Loss of Unbiased Coverage and Accountability

The shift towards internal content creation has come at a significant cost—the decline of independent journalism in women’s cycling. Independent media outlets, which have traditionally been the guardians of truth, now find themselves shut out of the sport. Teams are increasingly reluctant to “open up their kitchen” to independent journalists, preferring instead to control the narrative through their own content channels. Team and race organization content creators have full access. Not only within the team, but also behind the podium where the raw emotion can be caught. Independent journalists and photographers are not allowed behind the podium, let alone inside a team bus anymore, but content creators have full media access above and beyond where independent journalists and photographers are allowed.

One of the most concerning aspects of this trend is the loss of accountability. Independent media plays a crucial role in holding teams, organizers, and governing bodies to account. They ask the hard questions, investigate the controversies, and provide a platform for different voices within the sport. Without independent media, who will ask the tough questions when something goes wrong in a race? Who will challenge the UCI when it fails to uphold its own standards? Who will give a voice to the riders who feel marginalized or mistreated?

Take, for example, the Women’s Tour (of Britain) in 2023, which was canceled due to budget issues of it’s parent company Sweetspot. Independent media might have investigated the underlying reasons for the cancellation—poor management, lack of sponsorship support, or failures by the race organizers. Instead, the narrative was controlled by press releases from the race organizers and statements from teams, all of which downplayed the issues and painted a rosier picture of the situation. Independent journalists could have provided a more nuanced and truthful account, but they were not given the access or the platform to do so.

One long-time cycling journalist, who wishes to remain anonymous, notes, “We used to have access to the teams, to the riders, to the behind-the-scenes moments that made our stories real and raw. Now, we’re lucky if we get a five-minute Zoom call after a race, and even then, it’s carefully managed by a PR person. It’s becoming impossible to do our jobs properly.”

We have noticed the change significally as well. Working for the UCI’s media outlet for the last 8 years we had full access to the teams as being part of the stake holders. But even as a stakeholder of the UCI Women’s WorldTour the door was kept shut most of the times. It took 6 months of asking, begging and going higher up to get an interview with the World Champion Elisa Balsamo of Trek Segafredo.

In our debut year as ProCycling Women, we had limited access to post race interviews, but only when things were going well with a team or rider. When things weren’t going well and we tried to ask the hard questions it was a much different story and we had to settle with official press releases.

The Sanitization of Storytelling in Women’s Cycling

One of the most significant casualties of this shift is the depth and authenticity of storytelling. Independent journalists have a unique ability to capture the raw, unfiltered moments that make cycling so compelling—the exhaustion on a rider’s face after a brutal stage, the disappointment of a missed opportunity, the behind-the-scenes tensions within a team. These are the moments that resonate with fans and create a deeper emotional connection to the sport.

In contrast, team-produced content often feels scripted and artificial. Riders are portrayed as perfect ambassadors for their teams, always positive, always supportive of their teammates, and always focused on the next goal. The reality is far more complex. Professional cycling is a sport filled with highs and lows, triumphs and failures, camaraderie and conflict. By sanitizing the narrative, teams are doing a disservice to both the riders and the fans.

The reluctance of teams to allow independent media into their inner sanctum is partly driven by fear—fear of negative press, fear of controversy, fear of losing control of the narrative. After a race where something has gone wrong—a crash, a tactical error, or an internal conflict—teams are often reluctant to allow journalists to talk to the riders. Instead, they release carefully worded statements that gloss over the issues and present a unified front.

This approach was evident during the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, where a tactical blunder by a Team SD Worx-Protime cost them the yellow jersey. Independent journalists were denied access to the riders involved, and instead, the team released a video on their social media channels explaining the situation in their own terms. The video was polished, the language carefully chosen, and the real emotions of the riders were hidden behind a veil of PR. The fans never got to hear the full story, and the opportunity for genuine storytelling was lost.

The Struggle for Independent Media to Survive

The challenges faced by independent media in gaining access to women’s cycling are having a significant impact on the viability of journalism in the sport. Many media outlets that have struggled to maintain their coverage of women’s cycling due to limited access and the rising cost of content production. The economic model for independent media is already precarious, with declining advertising revenue and increased competition from team-produced content making it harder than ever to make a living as a cycling journalist.

For independent media outlets, access is everything. Without access to the teams, the riders, and the races, it becomes impossible to produce the kind of in-depth, engaging content that attracts readers and generates revenue. The increasing control of content by teams and organizers means that independent journalists are left on the outside, scrambling for scraps of information and forced to rely on press releases and pre-packaged content. This lack of access not only limits the quality of their work but also makes it difficult to differentiate their content from the sanitized stories produced by the teams themselves.

One editor at an independent cycling magazine explained, “The teams have all the resources—they have the riders, the access, the ability to produce high-quality videos and articles. How can we compete with that when we’re not even allowed to interview the riders after a race? Our readers want something different—they want the real stories, the behind-the-scenes drama—but we can’t provide that if we’re locked out.”

The economic impact of this trend is clear. With fewer opportunities to produce original content, independent media outlets are finding it increasingly difficult to justify investing in women’s cycling. The result is a vicious cycle—less coverage leads to less visibility for the sport, which in turn makes it harder for media outlets to attract sponsors and advertisers. The death of independent media in women’s cycling is not just a loss for journalism; it is a loss for the sport itself.

The Implications for Women’s Cycling

The decline of independent media in women’s cycling has broader implications for the sport as a whole. Without independent voices to challenge the status quo, hold teams and organizers accountable, and provide a platform for different perspectives, women’s cycling risks becoming an echo chamber. The narratives that emerge from the sport are increasingly controlled by those with a vested interest in presenting a particular image, and the result is a lack of transparency and a narrowing of the conversation around women’s cycling.

Ronny Lauke, team manager of the Canyon-SRAM Racing Team, has acknowledged the importance of media diversity in cycling: “We need independent journalists to tell the full story of our sport. They provide a check on the teams, the organizers, and even the governing bodies. Without them, we’re left with only one version of the truth, and that’s not good for anyone.” They are one of the few teams that never refused an interview or access during the racing season.

The lack of independent coverage also affects the relationship between the sport and its fans. Fans want authenticity—they want to see the real struggles, the real emotions, the real stories behind the races. Team-produced content, while polished and professional, often lacks the depth and authenticity that fans crave. By shutting out independent media, teams are limiting the potential for fans to connect with the sport on a deeper level.

The issue of accountability is also a significant concern. Without independent media to investigate and report on the actions of teams, race organizers, and the UCI, there is a risk that important issues will be swept under the rug. Controversies, safety concerns, and ethical issues may go unreported, and the opportunity for meaningful change within the sport will be lost. Independent journalism plays a crucial role in ensuring that those in positions of power are held to account, and without it, the sport risks becoming less transparent and less fair.

A Call for Change

The decline of independent media in women’s cycling is a concerning trend that threatens the future of the sport. The rise of team-owned content creators and the increasing control over narratives have led to a sanitized version of the sport that lacks the depth, transparency, and authenticity that fans crave. Independent media plays a crucial role in providing unbiased coverage, holding those in power to account, and telling the real stories that make cycling so compelling.

For the future of women’s cycling, it is essential that independent voices are not lost. Teams, organizers, and governing bodies must recognize the value of independent journalism and take steps to ensure that journalists have the access they need to do their jobs. Without independent media, the sport risks becoming an echo chamber, where only the most positive stories are told, and the true essence of the sport is lost.

Women’s cycling has come a long way, but for it to continue to grow, it needs a diversity of voices. It needs journalists who are willing to ask the tough questions, to dig deeper, and to tell the stories that others might prefer to keep hidden. It needs fans who demand more than just polished PR videos—it needs fans who want the truth, in all its raw, unfiltered beauty.

The death of independent media in women’s cycling is not inevitable. With the right support, with greater access, and with a commitment to transparency, independent journalism can thrive once again. But it will require a change in mindset from those at the top—a recognition that true growth requires more than just positive headlines. It requires honesty, authenticity, and a willingness to tell the full story, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.

The sport of women’s cycling deserves nothing less.