Patrick Lefevere has again come under fire for controversial remarks, suggesting that introducing a minimum salary for Women's WorldTeams has 'artificially pushed' women's cycling forward.
In an interview published in the Krant van West-Vlaanderen, the Soudal-QuickStep boss says the top-tier of women's cycling has yet to progress enough for all its riders to earn a base wage in the same way as men's cycling.
"I certainly and firmly believe in the potential of women's cycling, certainly don't get me wrong, only at the moment it is artificially pushed. Take, for example, the minimum wage: in the WorldTour, it's €60,000 on an annual basis, the same amount as the men's. That's not OK," Lefevere told Krant van West-Vlaanderen.
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"Again: don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge them, but there are riders who are not worth that amount at all. In the Tour [de France Femmes] last year, for example, they had to raise the time limit because otherwise, half the peloton would have arrived outside the time limit. Surely you don't pay someone who can't compete, €60,000? There are certainly riders who earn that amount, and some much more, but today the top in women's cycling is just not broad enough to justify that minimum wage."
The UCI introduced minimum salaries for Women's WorldTeams in 2020, which was a crucial step as part of its reforms to help improve the overall progress and professionalisation of women's cycling. This step has allowed more women athletes to train and race full-time, leading to the overall growth in depth of the women's field a the top level. There are currently 15 WorldTeams that are obliged to pay their riders a minimum salary.
57 Continental teams are not obliged to pay a base salary, although some of the higher-ranked teams currently do.
The minimum salary for Women's WorldTeams has increased to €32,102 (employed) / €52,647 (self-employed) in 2023. However, that base wage amount does not equal what men earn for racing on the WorldTour.
Lefevere appeared to have limited knowledge of the salary scales and historical inequities between men's and women's cycling, revealing that he considered partnering with a women's team, which has now grown to become AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep, when he found out that some women athletes earn as little as €250 a month.
"That's not possible, is it? Then I decided I had to do something ... If you do it, do it well. Otherwise, it's better not to start. It will take time, and we have to build, but in time we will be at the top with the women," Lefevere told Krant van West-Vlaanderen.
Cyclingnews published a in-depth article, Racing below the breadline: The women’s cycling omertà, which detailed the challenges that many women athletes who don't earn a proper salary face in cycling, including working one or two additional jobs in order to make ends meet. This often means that they cannot train and race in the same full-time capacity as those who earn a minimum salary do on the WorldTour.
In addition, The Cyclists' Alliance annual survey in 2020 concluded that 25% of female professional riders earn zero salary.
Lefevere, who owns and operates the men's WorldTour team Soudal-QuickStep, came under fire in 2021 when he eschewed the idea of starting a women's team in an interview with members of the media ahead of the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders. In the interview with Het Laatste Nieuws Sportscast, Lefevere stated that he was "not the welfare" and had "no experience, time, money or desire to invest" in women's cycling.
Despite his controversial remarks, Lefevere moved into women's cycling with Experza, a company he co-owned, sponsoring the development team NXTG in 2022. The same company also helped kickstart the women's team Experza-Footlogix in 2018.
Managed by founder Natascha den Ouden, the team added AG Insurance as a title sponsor on a long-term deal through 2025. They received one of the coveted wildcard invitations to the Tour de France Femmes last year as a development team, guided by director Jolien D'hoore, and finished 19th in the UCI World Ranking among some of the best teams in the world.
The team has quickly grown into a three-tier women's cycling programme this year; under-19, under-23 and an elite team - AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step. Reflecting their relationship with Lefevere's WorldTeam, the elite squad has a Continental licence and is scheduled to compete in many of the biggest races including Spring Classics such as Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
The team also aims for a future place in the Women's WorldTour. This year, they have signed a series of talented riders, including Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Lotta Henttala, who recently finished second place behind former world champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) in the first two stages at the Setmana Valenciana.
Lefevere stated that his long-term goal for AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep is to compete at the highest level of professional cycling. However, in his interview with Krant van West-Vlaanderen, he appeared to have little regard for his team and gave them little credit for their successes on the international calendar.
"In the long run, I also want to compete at the top in women's cycling. After all, I can't afford to be world top with my men's team and ride just in front of the broom wagon with my women's team."
