Tour Down Under: Men’s UCI WorldTour teams stay at the Hilton Adelaide, women at modest Lincoln College in North Adelaide
CYCLISTS from the Women’s Tour Down Under have hit the road to much fanfare today, but tonight, they’ll be resting up in $60 per night dormitory-style lodgings.
CYCLISTS from the Women’s Tour Down Under have hit the road to much fanfare today, but tonight, they’ll be resting up in $60 a night dormitory-style lodgings.
For this year’s event, the men’s UCI WorldTour teams and invited teams are being put up at the Hilton Adelaide – which has been home base since 1999 – while the women of the peloton are staying at the Lincoln College lodgings at North Adelaide.
The cost of a casual stay at North Adelaide’s Lincoln College is up to $60 a night with boarders sharing communal showers and toilets.
The men’s peloton and TDU officials have taken over the Hilton Adelaide in the heart of the city.
The Hilton Adelaide is advertising its cheapest available rooms for $204 a night but it is totally booked out for the Tour, as is Lincoln College.
Hitaf Rasheed, Executive Director of Events South Australia said Lincoln College provided suitable accommodation for the teams.
“Some of the teams were based at Lincoln College in 2017 and specifically asked if they could stay there again this year, predominantly due to its central location and amenities on offer such as individual rooms, high-speed wifi, a free laundry, storage spaces and areas for mechanics and easy access to training routes. Further, the service they receive from the Lincoln College Staff is exceptional.
“We are thrilled with the feedback we have had from the teams, particularly the international teams who travel to races in Europe year round giving great feedback on the organisation of the race.”
TDU women’s race director Kimberley Conte said female riders were reportedly pleased with having their own rooms at the Lincoln College, where some TDU officials are also staying.
“I’ve been told (by a team director) the luxury of having their own room, when once they have had to sleep on the floor of a nuclear power plant,” she said.
“Multiple teams have requested to go back to the college this year.”
The accommodation split reflects the difference in prizemoney, with men earning about $6100 for winning a TDU stage while the women will take home about $420 for achieving the same feat, according to the financial obligations document of world governing body the UCI.
In the 2018 TDU, the prizemoney for the men’s overall champion stands at $18,600, while the female winner will take home $2365.
This is a result of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rating the men’s race a top-level UCI WorldTour event, while the still-developing women’s race has been given a UCI 2.1 rating, one step below the top flight.
However, if the Women’s Tour Down Under wins a place on the UCI WorldTour calendar in 2019 it would still not guarantee the women pay parity with the men.
Unlike the Tour Down Under – which isn’t run by the organisation itself – the UCI does offer equal prizemoney for events it stages, such as the UCI World Championships.
The Tour’s international women’s teams also paid for economy-class flights from Europe to Adelaide but will be reimbursed in part as the men’s flights are understood to be totally covered by the TDU organisation, which is funded by the State Government.
For the first time in the women’s Tour Down Under’s short history all registered teams are staying in the one location.
Lincoln College also has enough room for staff to work on their bikes at the venue.
Women’s Tour Down Under teams are also supplied breakfast and dinner during the event as part of the women’s Tour Down Under package.
Despite this, the Opposition has blasted the accommodation on offer for the Tour’s female riders.
“It’s disappointing to hear that the accommodation the women’s Tour Down Under riders are staying in is not up to scratch, because female riders deserve to stay in decent facilities after the hot days and gruelling stages of the TDU,’’ said Opposition sports spokesman Corey Wingard.
“This is a failure on the part of the Weatherill Labor Government, who often talk a big game on women’s sport but don’t match that talk with action.”
Sports Minister Leon Bignell was yesterday contacted for comment but is yet to respond.