The Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) cited false information in a press release after the TCA published concerns and asked important questions about the UCI's Centralized Prize Money Management (CPM) system for women's professional cycling, which was launched in January " announced its intention to take legal action against The Cyclists' Alliance (TCA) for "defamation.

"Having read the latest note issued by The Cyclists' Alliance, The Professional Cyclists' Association reserves the right to sue TCA for false information disclosed with the clear intent to defame the CPA and manipulate its riders. The false news published under the title "Centralized Prize Money Management System," which has been applied to women's professional cycling since this year, demonstrates the TCA's lack of credibility on this topic," the CPA wrote.

The CPA is an athletes' association founded in 1999 and currently headed by Gianni Buño; in July 2017, a women's chapter, CPA Women, was launched and Alessandra Cappelotto was appointed manager; CPA and CPA Women are recognized by the sports governing body as recognized as representing both male and female riders.

TCA is also a women's rider association, launched in 2017, that supports more than 150 competitive cyclists while also supporting the development of women's cycling, from contracting and educational support, career advice, legal and retirement assistance, to informative research for women cyclists on key issues. The organization has gained popularity for the many positive activities it conducts. It recently launched a new Duty of Care framework and mentoring program focused on junior development, mid-career support, and retirement.

On Sunday, the TCA released concerns and key questions (opens in new tab) regarding the UCI's newly launched CPM system for women, seeking clarification and details on how prize money will be managed for female riders. It also called for more detail and clarity on the new system and how prize money will be administered, and for discussions with the UCI to ensure that the voices of women riders are heard in the discussions surrounding prize money. [The prize money belongs to the riders and they should have the right to participate in this discussion. It provided a model for the current men's CPM system starting in 2019, but noted that the UCI has confirmed that the women's CPM is similar but not identical.

The men's prize money management model deducts 13.82% from the net prize money to fund the transition fund (5%), the development of national athletes' associations (3%), UCI doping control (2%), CPA administrative costs (2%), and development costs of the men's CPM system (1.82%). In addition, administrative costs for prize money distribution will be deducted.

The CPA clarified in a press release on Thursday (opens in new tab) that the women's CPM system will not deduct 13.82%, but only "an administrative levy of 1.82% (the same percentage as for the men). In addition, the second tier deductions will only be "a withdrawal of €300 per year per World Tour team as a bank fee" and "a withdrawal of €200 per year per professional team as a bank fee" [Women's cycling has two tiers of teams, including a world team and a continental team There are no professional teams by - ed.]

"No other deductions will apply, as was pointed out during the official presentation of women's prize money management at the World Tour Seminar. It is also important to point out that the 1.82% levy does not cover the cost of prize money administration for women, even though it has been significantly reduced compared to the traditional men's levy; the UCI, in its policy of supporting women's cycling, has committed to covering the shortfall, which is currently over 50%. Thus, it is not only the athletes who will benefit from services that allow for standardization, transparency, and traceability of prize money management, but also from an optimal financial situation, thanks to the technology the CPA has developed over the years and the UCI's financial support," the CPA wrote.

The TCA also expressed concern that the women's CPM system does not include prize money for C1 and C2 lower-level races; the CPA stated that the UCI will apply centralized prize money management to WorldTour and Pro Series races beginning in the 2022 season and then to 0.1 class races The CPA clarified that the UCI aims to expand this to the 0.1 class races as well. He noted that players would be free to choose the agents who would distribute prize money within their teams and at what rate, and that the representatives appointed by the players on each team would be respected.

"No one is obligated to choose CPA as their agent, but if most teams choose us, there is a reason. Extending this management to lower category races is a common goal with the UCI and an approach that must be realistic. In any case, it seems contradictory for the TCA to oppose the establishment of centralized management and at the same time complain that not all race categories will be included immediately," said CPA President Bugno. [Riders are enthusiastic about the CPM structure. With this transparent system, prize money is not lost and riders are paid promptly." Alessandra Cappelotto and the CPA Women are doing important work with the UCI and other stakeholders to ensure that the gap between women and men is gradually reduced while respecting their singularity. We reserve the right to sue for defamation those who undermine our work by spreading slander and causing only damage to cycling and its protagonists."

Cycling News contacted both the UCI and the CPA for documents, plans, and details regarding the new women's CPM system, and whether the athletes in the women's peloton were consulted regarding prize money management, but neither responded.

TCA told Cycling News via email on Thursday that it would appreciate confirmation of the CPA and additional clarification regarding the reduced percentage of deductions in the women's CPM system compared to the men's system. However, they are still seeking answers to their initial questions.

"The TCA recently provided riders with a summary of the current men's CPM, along with a list of questions we (the TCA and Rider Council) asked the UCI, to get clarification on the new system... While we are pleased that the CPA has confirmed that it will only deduct 1.82%, we are also pleased that the UCI has confirmed with riders that it will only deduct 1.82%. We are somewhat surprised by the response to our request for consultation, transparency, and accountability. This response should not be a distraction from the questions originally raised," TCA wrote in Cycling News.

The TCA indicated that its central concern is that it was not consulted on the initial plans for the women's CPM system and that it is requesting that riders be included in the discussion regarding their prize money. Time Trial World Champion Ellen van Dijk (rider representative), Leah Kirchman (deputy rider representative), Marianne Voss, Christine Majerus, Amanda Spratt, Audrey Cordon-Lago, Ariane Luthi, Hayley Smith and Marcella Toldi, In response to questions from TCA athletes' association representatives, including Agua Marina Espinola, Marieke de Groot, and Luciana Roland, it was confirmed that the UCI had taken a basic position on this system.

Van Dijk expressed her own concerns about the CPA's response to the TCA's consultation request and questions about the new women's CPM system on social media Friday, writing, "Dear @women_cpa, I don't think this is the best way to contact you but your [ sirens] feel the need to respond. As riders, we have asked @Cyclists_All to ask questions as we need transparency regarding the prize platform. All we need are answers, not threatening statements."

Through the letter, TCA and its Rider Council asked UCI the following 10 questions and requested information.