New Board Members include: Olympians, Emma Pooley(Great Britain); Dotsie Bausch (USA), Inga Thompson (USA), Marion Clignet (France), Georgia Gould (USA), and Lea Davison (USA), and other World Class athletes who are on board to lend a strong voice to the fight for equality in women’s pro cycling.
The WCA is on the verge of something obviously unprecedented in cycling and following in the footsteps of the great women’s leaders of our time for equality in sport”, said new WCA Board Member Dotsie Bausch. “I look forward to being able to speak out loud and clear on the WCA mission and the opportunity to bring the WCA mission forward for the public to see and understand its power and mission.”
The newly elected diverse and internationally represented BOD joins co-founders and current board members – Robin Farina, 2011 U.S. National Road Champion and BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental Group cyclist; Janel Holcomb and Alison Tetrick, Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies cyclists, and Lauren Komanski, TWENTY16 p/b Sho-Air cyclist.
“The firepower and international diversity that the WCA is adding to its organization will ensure that women’s cycling will have a united voice and a plan for action to make positive improvements for the future of our sport,” stated WCA Chair of the Board, Janel Holcomb.
Global Strategic Plan
The WCA enlisted the counsel and expertise of Dr. Donna Lopiano, one of the most influential and powerful advocates for gender equality in sports. She is assisting the WCA to formulate its global strategic plan and restructure the organization. She has been recognized for her leadership advocating for gender equity in sports by FOX Sports, the IOC, the NCAA and other national and international organizations.
“The WCA is a “diamond in the rough” – the right idea at the right moment”, said Lopiano. WCA has recognized the importance of (1) female athletes controlling their own destinies and (2) the best female cyclists in the world being the leaders of an organization that brings all female cyclists together to form a powerful team.“
Three primary goals of the WCA Strategic Plan:
- Achieve event, discipline and purse gender equity in professional cycling
- Increase the participation of women in world and national cycling governance organizations
- Increase the media coverage and sponsorship of women’s professional cycling
The March toward Equality Doesn’t have to be Slow
The new WCA Board continued its advocacy work with a response to the January 2015 article in Velonews.com: “Women’s movement: The slow march toward equality,” by Matthew Beaudin. The article characterized the women’s cycling movement as “filled with potential, largely unrealized.” This stance heavily supports the “We can’t change the sport overnight” position of UCI President, Brian Cookson. The WCA’s response to the article, “The March toward Equality Doesn’t Have to Be Slow,” calls for the UCI, the international governing body of Pro Cycling, to lead the charge for equality in women’s cycling.
For more information and to join the WCA, log on to womenscyclingassociation.com.
Photo by Christy Nicholson / EchelonDesignPhoto.com
