Strava survey reveals discrepancies in exposure for women’s cycling

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. 

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). 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.

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. 

Methodology

• The survey was served to an external audience, not targeted at Strava athletes specifically, across both desktop and mobile.
• Respondents are diverse in age, income, region, ethnicity and the gender split is equal.
• In total, there were 3,680 respondents globally (Brazil, France, Spain, UK, US).
• Survey was conducted on July 15, 2024.