Virtual cycling platform MyWhoosh has highlighted the disparity in prize money between traditional road racing and virtual esports cycling, contrasting the financial structure of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with its own equal payout model.
As the women’s professional peloton recently competed in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, organised by Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O), figures compiled by MyWhoosh show a significant gap in prize distribution compared to the men’s event.
The men’s Tour de France awarded its general classification winner €500,000 from a total prize purse of €2,302,800. In comparison, the women’s general classification winner receives €50,000 from a total prize pool of €250,000.
Tour de France, men vs women (as reported)
|
Men |
Women |
Gap |
|
|
Total prize pool |
€2,302,800 |
€250,000 |
~9x |
|
GC winner |
€500,000 |
€50,000 |
10x |
|
Stage win |
€11,000 |
€4,000 |
~2.75x |
|
Green jersey (points) |
€25,000 |
€3,000 |
~8x |
|
Polka-dot (KOM) |
€25,000 |
€3,000 |
~8x |
|
White jersey (young rider) |
€20,000 |
€3,000 |
~6.7x |
|
Team GC |
€50,000 |
€6,000 |
~8x |
|
Combativity |
€20,000 |
€2,000 |
10x |
The contrast in prize money comes despite growing broadcast audiences for women’s road racing. Across the total racing distance, the men’s 2026 Tour de France covered 21 stages and 3,320.7km, while the women’s race spanned nine stages and 1,174.5km.
Distance for context: men 21 stages / 3,320.7 km; women 9 stages / 1,174.5 km.
The financial difference remains consistent across all classifications within the two events.
- A men’s stage win pays €11,000 compared to €4,000 for a women’s stage win.
- The points classification green jersey and mountains classification polka-dot jersey award €25,000 in the men’s race versus €3,000 in the women’s event.
- The young rider white jersey pays €20,000 for men and €3,000 for women, while the team classification offers €50,000 compared to €6,000.
- The super combativity award stands at €20,000 for men and €2,000 for women.
In contrast to road cycling, Abu Dhabi-based virtual platform MyWhoosh points out that it operates an equal prize structure for men and women across its competitive events. The 2026 MyWhoosh Championships, a seven-day esports stage race, featured a US$1,000,000 total prize pool split evenly between the men’s and women’s fields, offering the same first-place earnings across both categories.
MyWhoosh also maintains equal payouts in its weekly Sunday Race Club series, which distributes approximately US300,000 per month between male and female competitors. During the 2026 season, category1 competitor Mary Kate McCarthy earned approximately US$148,000 on the MyWhoosh platform, illustrating the earning potential available in esports racing compared to the more traditional road racing contracts and race earnings.
The parity in virtual racing has drawn prominent Women’s WorldTour professional riders to esports platforms alongside their outdoor road commitments. At the Sunday Race Club Women’s Finals on July 26, 2026, inaugural UCI Esports World Champion and AG Insurance–Soudal team rider Ashleigh Moolman Pasio finished fourth in the elite field, earning US$820 behind race winner Mary Kate McCarthy.
Addressing the platform’s financial framework, Matt Smithson, Director of Esports & Game Operations at MyWhoosh, said “Equal prize money was built into our model from the beginning because we believe women’s athletics should be valued on the exact same terms as men’s.
“The economics of virtual cycling allow us to create a balanced structure where athletes can compete for substantial rewards regardless of gender.”
MyWhoosh serves as the official indoor cycling partner for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. The platform hosts structured workouts, social group rides, and esports competitions accessible to amateur and professional cyclists globally.
