'Podium Girls' in pro cycling...

I agree about F1 etc - but the whole models-at-the-event promoting stuff is one thing - models at the podium getting prime time coverage is another.....

It is also a part of the modelling industry that provides an income to many people

Hahaha lol.

Anyway, yeah. Using podium girls to hand over prizes + smooches can get fucked. Love the idea of using local/national yoot cyclists instead.

I don't really like the idea of using woman cyclists to present the prizes. You don't see male domestiques handing out any flowers to race winners, so why should the women have to do it? The association with podium girls picked for their appearance is tainted, and starting to pick women for their skills instead of their boobs is still going to be tainted. It can fuck off.

I don't think that's due justification. Just because other sports do it, doesn't mean cycling has to do it as well.

It's an existing issue that women pro riders don't have a minimum wage and often have to supplement their income through other work (Emma Pooley more or less lived off her winnings from triathlons to support her pro racing career). If you're going to give out money to stand at the side of the podium and hand out flowers, medals and jerseys then at least keep it within the sport. It's a bit arrogant and stupid to shed tears over hard up models losing some income while blithely ignoring would be pro riders who are already unable to stick in their chosen profession because they basically have no money. Let's not forget that, like models, being a pro cyclist is actually a job. It places demands on your time and life and, as far as men are concerned, pays for a place to live, bills, food and all those other life essentials and possibly a family as well. This whole "oh won't someone think of the poor models" is, in the current scenario of pro cycling, a complete and utter red herring. It doesn't merit any more consideration than this.