Interview Grace Brown: "The voice of female racing drivers must be heard"

TOUR: Last year you crowned your professional career with three gold medals - Olympic and world champion in the individual time trial and world champion in the mixed relay. How have these successes changed your life?

Grace Brown: It was interesting: for Australian athletes in particular, the Olympic gold medal has a pretty big impact. It has made me someone who is important in my own country. Cycling is not a really big sport in Australia, a lot of people don't understand the significance of my other results - but they know what an Olympic gold medal means.

TOUR: You were more successful than ever in the 2024 season. Why was now the right time to stop?

Grace Brown: I had been thinking about it for many years. I had to leave my husband behind in Australia every year for cycling. A year with the Olympics seemed like the right time. But I didn't expect this year to be so good. Maybe it's because of my stubbornness that I stuck to my decision.

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TOUR: Let's change the subject: instead of enjoying your retirement, you are already working as president of the riders' organisation The Cyclists' Alliance. Why is that?

Grace Brown: It was the circumstances: when Iris Slappendel (ex-professional and predecessor; editor's note) stepped down from the position, I had it on my radar a few months before I ended my career. And I was a bit sad that I was leaving the sport. It was a great opportunity to stay involved in the sport, to continue to make an impact and to contribute to the growth of women's cycling. I haven't really had time to think about the fact that it also means a lot of work and responsibility. But sometimes a little naivety is a good thing. And I'm simply passionate about the TCA's causes.

TOUR: What are the main topics for your presidency?

Grace Brown: It is fundamentally important to inform female cyclists about their rights. An important topic: the World Tour has made rapid progress in terms of professionalisation, but there are still many problems for female cyclists and teams at continental level. Everyone in the peloton should be able to cycle safely, adequately paid and worry-free with a view to the future. There are currently many people working on the issue of safety. Our task is to ensure that the voice of female riders is heard in this discussion. And there are legal and ethical issues from individuals that we continue to fight for.

TOUR: Your union only represents women. There is also a women's representation at the UCI riders' organisation CPA. Can you explain this competition?

Grace Brown: The Cyclists' Alliance was founded in 2017 by Iris (Slappendel). At that time, women were not represented by the CPA. Women were not seen as professionals there. That's why TCA was founded as a union for women because there were a lot of issues that needed to be addressed at the time, especially the lack of fair pay, the lack of TV coverage. Plus incidents of harassment. The CPA now has a department for women - but the CPA only represents a few nations. In addition, the CPA is more or less an appendage of the UCI. We, on the other hand, are completely independent. We have no intention of joining forces. But we should have a good relationship with the CPA and support the female racers together.

TOUR: To what extent do you want to influence the presidential election at the UCI?

Grace Brown: We haven't talked about that yet. But it would be great to have someone in this position with whom we have a good relationship. The UCI has historically been very male-dominated. I would be delighted if we had a woman in this role.