Pauline earns 10 times less than Pogacar for winning the Tour, but the organization has an explanation

A few weeks ago, Tadej Pogacar pocketed €500,000 for winning the Tour de France, a far cry from the €50,000 that Pauline Ferrand-Prevot will receive for winning the women's race. But the director of the Tour de France Femmes has not avoided controversy and has tried to explain this situation.

Marion Rousse responds to criticism: "Comparing Ferrand-Prevot and Pogacar's prizes is erroneous"

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot's recent triumph in the Tour de France Femmes 2025 has reopened the debate: the huge difference in prizes between the women's and men's races. While the Visma Lease a Bike Frenchwoman took home €76,190 for her victory and two stage wins, Tadej Pogacar pocketed half a million for winning the men's Tour. But for Marion Rousse, director of the women's race, that comparison is unfair.

"We have to compare what is comparable," Rousse assured Clapping Media, in statements collected by DH Le Sports+. "We have compared the Tour de France, which lasts three weeks, with the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which has nine days of racing. Obviously, it is not the same dimension."

In fact, Rousse cited the Critérium du Dauphiné as an example, a male race of eight days, similar in duration to the Tour Femmes, whose prize pool is lower: €144,024, compared to the €264,152 distributed in the 2025 women's edition.

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Thanks to the partial victories of Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, the latter also winner of the yellow jersey, the Dutch team Visma - Lease a Bike was the one that accumulated the most money: €76,190. FDJ-SUEZ followed with €53,810, driven by Demi Vollering's second place and Elise Chabbey's mountain jersey. Rounding out the top 5 were UAE ADQ (two stages and 4th overall with W?odarczyk), AG Insurance-Soudal (with Kim Le Court-Pienaar and Sarah Gigante as standouts) and SD Worx-Protime, thanks to Lorena Wiebes' victories and her green jersey.

On the other end, the Winspace team only accumulated €290 after nine days of competition.

Rousse recalled that the Tour de France Femmes was revived in 2022 after decades of absence, and that progress has been significant: "We have to realize that four years ago women's cycling was non-existent. There was no TV coverage, and the minimum salary was only introduced in 2020."

The director argued that the main goal should not be to quickly equalize prizes, but to ensure the viability and continuity of the event: "The most important thing was that the riders could make a living from their passion. Before, they were professionals, but in the afternoon they had to go to work to earn their salary."

"We must avoid growing too fast and, above all, ensure the longevity of the race, because if the event disappears next year, it would be a catastrophe for women's cycling, which is evolving rapidly year after year."