Patrick Lefebvre has again come under fire for controversial remarks suggesting that the introduction of a minimum annual salary for women's world teams is "artificially" advancing women's cycling.

In an interview published in Krant van West-Vlaanderen, the Soudal-QuickStep boss said that the top tier of women's cycling has not yet advanced far enough for all athletes to earn the same base salary as men's cycling.

"I believe in the potential of women's cycling, and don't get me wrong, I believe in the potential of women's cycling. For example, the minimum wage. 60,000 euros per year in the World Tour, the same as the men's. Lefebvre told Krant van West-Vlaanderen.

"Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against these women. For example, at last year's Tour (de France Femme), they had to raise the time limit. Otherwise, half of the peloton would have arrived outside the time limit. Sure, you don't pay 60,000 euros to a rider who can't compete' Certainly there are riders who earn that amount and more, but the top of women's cycling today is not broad enough to justify that minimum wage."

The UCI's introduction of a minimum salary for women's world teams in 2020 was an important step, part of a reform to improve the overall progress and professionalization of women's cycling. This step allowed more female athletes to train and race full time and led to an increase in the overall depth of the women's field at the top level. Currently, there are 15 world teams that are obligated to pay their athletes a minimum salary.

57 continental teams are not obligated to pay a base salary, but the top ranked teams currently do.

The minimum salary for women's world teams will increase to €32,102 (employed)/€52,647 (self-employed) in 2023. However, this base salary is not comparable to the income of men competing on the World Tour.

Lefebvre, apparently not very knowledgeable about the salary structure and historical inequities between men and women cyclists, learned that some female athletes are paid as little as 250 euros per month, and when he learned that some female athletes are now paid 250 euros per month, he partnered with a female team that is now AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep revealed that they had considered the possibility of a partnership with the women's team, which is now AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep.

"That's not possible. If we're going to do it, we're going to do it right. If not, don't do it. It will take time, it will have to be built up, but in time we will be at the top with the women," Lefebvre told Courant van West-Flanderen.

Cyclingnews published an in-depth article, "Racing below the breadline": the article details the challenges faced by many female athletes in cycling who do not earn an adequate salary, such as working one or two jobs to make ends meet The article details the following. This often means that these women are unable to train and race full time in the same way as athletes earning the lowest salaries on the World Tour.

Additionally, an annual survey conducted by the Federation of Cyclists in 2020 concluded that 25% of female professional riders are paid zero salary

and that the number of female athletes who are paid zero salary is the highest in the world

.

Lefebvre, owner and operator of the men's WorldTour team Soudal-QuickStep, denied the idea of starting a women's team in an interview with the media before the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders in 2021 and was criticized In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws Sportscast, Lefebvre said she was "not welfare" and did not have the "experience, time, money or desire to invest" in women's cycling.

Despite his controversial remarks, Lefebvre has made a foray into women's cycling with the company he co-owns, Experza, which sponsored the development team NXTG in 2022. The company also helped launch the women's team Experza-Footlogix in 2018.

The team, run by founder Natasha den Oden, added AG Insurance as its title sponsor in a long-term deal through 2025. Last year, as a development team led by Jolien Dufour, the team received a wildcard invitation to the Tour de France Femme and was ranked 19th among the world's best teams in the UCI world rankings.

The team has quickly grown into a three-tier women's cycling program this year, with under-19s, under-23s, and an elite team, AG Insurance Soudal-Quick Step. Reflecting Lefebvre's relationship with the world team, the elite team has a continental license and will compete in many big races, including spring classics such as Paris-Roubaix Femme.

The team also hopes to enter the Women's World Tour in the future. This year, she has signed a number of talented athletes, including Ashley Moolman-Pasio and Lotta Hentala, who finished second behind former world champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek Segafredo) in the first and second stages of the Setmana Valenciana.

Lefebvre said his long-term goal with AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step is to compete at the highest level of professional cycling. However, in an interview with Krant van West-Vlaanderen, he seemed to have little appreciation for his team and little appreciation for its success on the international calendar.

"In the long run, I want to compete at the top in women's cycling. After all, I can't be the best in the world on the men's team and only ride in front of broom wagons on the women's team."