Olympic and World time trial champion Grace Brown is set to become the new president of The Cyclists' Alliance.
Brown will succeed current TCA President Iris Slappendel, who was one of the founding members of the organisation back in 2017 when she retired from her career.
Brown herself is set to retire at the end of 2024, after a stellar year in which she has taken Olympic and World titles - in the latter, clinching gold in both the individual and mixed relay races – as well as Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
A riders’ union that provides athletes with contract and educational support, career advice, and legal and retirement assistance, The Cyclists Alliance's stated aim is "to level the playing field and help the hard-working women of today’s peloton make a living from the sport."
“Iris and all the other board members have made a tremendous contribution to the professionalisation of women's cycling," Brown said in a TCA press release.
"Their ambition and dedication were unmatched, and they have contributed greatly to the growth of the organisation as well as the recognition of the rider's rights."
In the same press release, Slappendel looked back at what TCA has been working to achieve, saying “The Cyclists’ Alliance has been a big part of my life since we founded the organisation back in 2017. At that time, female professional cyclists had no voice and hardly any influence on where our sport was going."
"Being close to the peloton, representing the riders' concerns and ideas to drive collective impact has always been the core of our work. I’m extremely proud of what the TCA has accomplished over the years."
"It has not always been easy or fun, and I have faced some backlash at times, but I’m even proud of that, not settling for the status quo and continuing to strive for fairness. I realised quickly that if you want to create change, people will feel attacked. Especially in a sport many would like to keep it as it is."
In further major changes in TCA, a General Assembly is soon to be held and new members of the Rider Council set to be elected, as current council members Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Christine Majerus, Amanda Spratt and Marcella Toldi are all stepping down.
Brown is currently pencilled in to take part in one more race for her trade team, FDJ-Suez before she retires - the Chrono des Nations, France's last race of the season, on October 13.
