women’s classic? Rad fans look at the SRF tube

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Which Swiss cyclist won the most important victory in 2023? Exactly: Marlen Reusser (31) in the classic Gent-Wevelgem – two weeks ago the 31-year-old won solo. The Emmentaler was also one of the best at the next Tour of Flanders – she finished seventh. But while the men’s race was broadcast live on SRF for hours, Swiss cycling fans then had to switch to Eurosport to see the women’s decision.

Why did the SRF do it without the women’s final? Has the slot been booked? Then you could have offered the race in the stream, right? And why is the next classic, Paris-Roubaix, only showing the men’s race? Blick asks, but doesn’t get a conclusive answer. Maybe you don’t have the rights, maybe the effort is too great, everything is too expensive or you have a different strategy.

The SRF media agency only sends a general quote from Sport editor Susan Schwaller. “We take into account the growing importance of women’s cycling in Switzerland with a constant expansion of coverage,” it says. The Tour de Suisse for women was already broadcast in 2021 and 2022. This will also be the case this year – the Tour de Romandie will also be broadcast live.

“No one was interested in Marlen”

But what about the other races? Schwaller emphasizes that Swiss athletes in particular are guided by SRF with “regular coverage on TV, radio and online platforms”. Marlen Reusser’s manager, Janine Geigele (49), can only shake her head at this sentence.

She says: “Even though Marlen won Gent-Wevelgem, nobody at SRF was interested in her for the Tour of Flanders. It was all about the men’s race. It was only when I asked that SRF also wanted a Skype interview with Marlen. I think it’s extraordinary It’s a pity that women’s cycling is generally neglected in the media.”

Source : Blick