Strava Survey Reveals Discrepancies in Exposure For Women’s Sports As Riders Embark on the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
SAN FRANCISCO (August 8, 2024) — Strava, the leading digital community for active people with more than 125 million athletes, continues in its Strive for More™ commitment to support women in movement and sport with its third year sponsorship of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. As women’s sports continue to inspire a movement, Strava is teaming up with TOGETHXR to call on more coverage, viewership of and conversation around women’s cycling. Additionally, Strava is teaming up with Tobin Heath, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time FIFA World Cup Champion, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team member, and co-founder of RE-INC, to show an inside look behind the scenes at the dedication and grit of this year’s riders to further bring awareness and attention to the sport.
According to recent survey data from Strava, accessibility and interest in women’s sports content is still lagging behind men’s sports. This disparity is particularly visible with women’s cycling. Survey respondents were 26% less likely to have watched women's sports as compared to men's in the past three months.1
This result is not surprising, given that only 15% of current sports coverage is dedicated to women's leagues and teams (and even this is triple what it was five years ago).2 Closing the gap in media coverage has the potential to massively impact viewership and engagement, as 44% of respondents said they would watch more women's sports if there was more social and media coverage. There is still a perception bias to overcome, however, with 29% of respondents saying their top reason for not engaging was that men's events are more fun and dynamic to watch.
“Women are the future of sports, new media and conversation that define what progress and equity is all about,” said Heath. “It’s important to advocate for all women’s sports, and to continue to get out of our comfort zone. As an athlete who is also a newbie to cycling, I’m in awe of the women who sacrifice their blood, sweat and tears to get to the starting line of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. I’m proud to rally the community on the ground and across the globe to give their time and attention to watch these women and their incredible and exciting sport.”
Fans drive change, and this year, Strava is offering tools to watch, represent and obsess over the race. Follow Strava on social for exclusive behind the scenes content and check out Strava and TOGETHXR's watch guide for info on where to watch and tune in. For fans on the ground, be on the lookout for the ‘Femmes on Tour’ van from Strava x TOGETHXR, where people can get free custom merch and other goodies throughout the week.
Ride Like A Pro With Strava x SoulCycle
To give more women the opportunity to ride like a pro, Strava and SoulCycle are coming together to grow and increase visibility for the female cycling community in the U.S. In celebration of this year's Tour de France Femmes, Strava will host complimentary community rides at SoulCycle locations in New York City, Hoboken, Los Angeles and San Francisco, beginning Aug. 13th–17th.
Sign up at https://www.soul-cycle.com/soulconnected/soulcycle-x-strava-community-rides/ or via the SoulCycle app beginning Aug. 12th at noon local time.
Later this month, SoulCycle and Strava will launch a new integration that will allow riders to seamlessly log their studio rides on Strava for more kudos and community post class.
Advancing Equity and Inclusion
Strive for More™ is a $1 million financial commitment by Strava over three years to promote and support women in movement and sport. Launched in July 2022 in conjunction with the first Tour de France Femmes in over 30 years, Strava works alongside non-profit organizations, athletes and organizations closest to the issues to help build pathways to advance equity and inclusion in the sporting community. Since its inception, the initiative has worked with The Cyclists’ Alliance, helping to fund TCAMP, a groundbreaking mentorship program that helps get more women to competitive races; and GRLS, an initiative by Women Win that aims to advance gender equity in and through sport and play.
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1 Survey was conducted on July 15th.
2 Survey of a nationally representative sample across 5 markets (U.S., U.K., France, Spain and Brazil) with 3680 respondents.
About Strava
Strava is the leading digital community for active people with more than 125 million athletes in more than 190 countries. The platform offers a holistic view of your active lifestyle, no matter where you live, which sport you love and/or what device you use. Everyone belongs on Strava when they are pursuing an active life. Join the community, find motivation and discover new experiences with a Strava subscription.
Follow the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Club on Strava to support and engage with a community of women from around the world and follow Strava on Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Visit www.strava.com for more information.
About TOGETHXR
TOGETHXR is a media and commerce company founded by Jessica Robertson, alongside four of the world’s top professional athletes, Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird. With a focus on rich storytelling rooted in lifestyle and youth culture, TOGETHXR is an unapologetic platform where representation and gender equality are both expected and required. TOGETHXR highlights a diverse and inclusive community of game-changers, culture shapers, thought-leaders, and barrier breakers – finding and telling the stories of women who are doing the same. As one of the fastest growing platforms for women in sport and culture, TOGETHXR’s in-house production studio has created a slate of scripted and unscripted premium content, including Surf Girls: Kaikaina, More Than A Name, FENOM, Summer of Gold, and more, which are in discussions to be adapted for film, TV, and digital media. In 2023, TOGETHXR was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies and won Media Company of the Year in the DigiDay Media Awards.
About SoulCycle
SoulCycle is a high-intensity indoor cycling studio that redefines feel-good-fitness by creating the space to feel through movement. SoulCycle’s riders step into their sanctuary and remain rooted in gratitude and supported by their community throughout the 45-minute workout. The signature classes are designed to strengthen your mind, body and soul with dynamic coaches and rhythm-packed playlists.
Launched in New York City in 2006, SoulCycle spans over 60 studios across the U.S. and U.K. and draws in a loyal community of riders year after year. SoulCycle’s studios are popular destination spaces outfitted with curated art and the brand’s proprietary retail fitness and lifestyle collection, Soul by SoulCycle.