Giro Donne claims to increase prize purse by 200,000 euro
Giro Donne claims to increase prize purse by 200,000 euro
PMG Sports, organizers for the Giro Donne, announced on Thursday that they will increase the prize purse for their event fivefold in 2022. The overall winner of the Giro Donne in 2021 received only €8,000, far below other shorter stage races in the Women’s WorldTour. In 2022 they are promising a total prize purse of €250,000.
One of the most prestigious and controversial races in the Women’s WorldTour, the overall prize purse for the Giro Donne in 2021 was supposedly €50,000, with one stage win costing the race €550. The current minimum prize money for a stage win in a Women’s WorldTour race is €735.
The Giro Donne is back on the Women’s WorldTour calendar in 2022 after being relegated to 2.ProSeries status in 2021 for failing to provide the mandatory live coverage, among other reasons. Although it is one of the longest-running races and the longest stage race in the world for the women at ten days, the Giro Donne has often failed to live up to expectations. Riders will joke about mid-race route changes and poorly made maps and profiles.
Still, the pink jersey is a coveted trophy in women’s cycling and regardless of the poor organization and coverage teams and riders always target the race as a season goal.
PMG Sport did not mention live coverage in their statement on Thursday. In 2021 the race provided 60-minute packages for each stage that included post-race ceremonies and per-race interviews but only saw a small sampling of actual live race footage. The Queen stage was not shown at all.
The 33rd edition of the Giro Donne is set to start in Sardinia on June 30th with an individual time trial.
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