Photo: www.stetinaspaydirt.com
Carson City, Nevada will be the place of a Paydirt Challenge gravel race meant to tackle gender equality in cycling. The race will only offer money prizes to women, and reward men just with beer.
The idea was the initiative of former pro Peter Stetina, an American off-road cyclist who wanted to flip the script and let women take the center stage.
The gravel race will accept both men and women in the competition, but only the ladies will be rewarded with prizes in money, $4,000 to be more specific. Men will get the chance to be in the spotlight and take the podium, too, but they’ll only be rewarded with a cool beer.
The rules of the Carson City Paydirt Challenge are meant to level the playfield, as women’s events are usually treated as openers to the men’s act, explains Stetina, quoted by Cycling Weekly.
The race is sponsored by Shimano and competitors have to show their skills on one of two courses. One is 67 miles (107 km) long and reaches 6,000 ft (1,8 km) in elevation, while the other one is 49 miles (78 km) long and reaches 3,100 ft in elevation (944 m).
All competitors will also have the chance to prove what they’re made of before the race starts when they get the chance to ride Wahoo’s Mechanical Bull. The challenge will come with bonuses in extra seconds, meaning riders will get bonus seconds for each second they manage to stay on the bull.
The Women Paydirt Challenge will take place on September 11.
Peter Stetina was born in Colorado and he competed as a road cyclist for several teams between 2010 and 2019. During his 10-year world tour career, he participated in eight grand tours (4 Giro D’Italia, 2 Tour De France, and 2 Vuelta Espana). He got into gravel racing in 2019.
The gravel race will accept both men and women in the competition, but only the ladies will be rewarded with prizes in money, $4,000 to be more specific. Men will get the chance to be in the spotlight and take the podium, too, but they’ll only be rewarded with a cool beer.
The rules of the Carson City Paydirt Challenge are meant to level the playfield, as women’s events are usually treated as openers to the men’s act, explains Stetina, quoted by Cycling Weekly.
The race is sponsored by Shimano and competitors have to show their skills on one of two courses. One is 67 miles (107 km) long and reaches 6,000 ft (1,8 km) in elevation, while the other one is 49 miles (78 km) long and reaches 3,100 ft in elevation (944 m).
All competitors will also have the chance to prove what they’re made of before the race starts when they get the chance to ride Wahoo’s Mechanical Bull. The challenge will come with bonuses in extra seconds, meaning riders will get bonus seconds for each second they manage to stay on the bull.
The Women Paydirt Challenge will take place on September 11.
Peter Stetina was born in Colorado and he competed as a road cyclist for several teams between 2010 and 2019. During his 10-year world tour career, he participated in eight grand tours (4 Giro D’Italia, 2 Tour De France, and 2 Vuelta Espana). He got into gravel racing in 2019.
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