MY INTERVIEW WITH LISA JACOBS

National cyclocross champion.

What have you learnt from competing in the different types of women's cycling that could improve the status of the sport?

"Your question is a good one - if by ‘status’ you mean how it is perceived or valued by others, I’d say that it all comes down to marketability. The more marketable women’s cycling is, the more people will want to watch it, which means more media exposure and therefore more sponsors, which means more money available for the sport and the athletes. This, in turn, means the sport becomes better resourced and more professional and attracts a higher calibre of athlete. It feeds off itself. 

My experience as an elite road cyclist (I rode on the Australian team in Europe before switching to cyclocross) was very different to my experience as a pro cyclocross rider. There is very little money in women’s road cycling because it’s not especially attractive to sponsors (esp compared to men’s racing). In contrast, cx racing is exciting, easy for spectators to watch and easy to market. Cx (while small in Australia now) is a better long-term prospect for women’s racing because it’s easier for sponsors to invest in. Sport is part of the entertainment business, so it needs to be able to sell something!"