Marianne Voss is one of eight members of the Cyclist Alliance (TCA) Rider Council, an organization for professional women riders, who signed an open letter to the UCI asking the sport's governing body to engage with them to help them weather the coronavirus pandemic The letter was signed by.

The letter, released Friday, regrets that the UCI's recently announced reorganization of the 2020 international road calendar makes little mention of women's cycling.

The association's athlete council includes 2019 Women's WorldTour winner Voss and her CCC-Liv teammates Ashley Moolman-Pasio, Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton Scott), Ellen van Dijk and Audrey Cordón-Lago (both Trek Segafredo), Christine Majerus (Boels Dolmans), Leah Kirchman (Sunweb), and professional mountain biker Ariane Luthi.

While the men's Tour de France has been pushed back to late August and the World Championships and other Grand Tours will follow, the UCI has announced that the women's peloton will have to wait until May 15 for a new women's WorldTour schedule.

In the aftermath of the announcement, after criticizing the UCI on Twitter on Wednesday, the Federation of Cyclists expanded on its concerns in an open letter signed by its eight-member athlete council.

"As representatives of the women's peloton and elected by our peers to represent the Cyclist Alliance (TCA), we are concerned about the impact (of the pandemic) on women's professional cycling. We are even more concerned that the women's side is not adequately represented in the ongoing discussions about this pandemic and the challenges it poses. [The UCI's recent statement (April 15) did not include details of its approach to the women's race calendar, nor did it provide details of who it is consulting with to make these decisions. This indicates that discussions are still ongoing.

The Cyclist Alliance was founded in 2017 by Iris Slappendell, Carmen Small, and Gracie Elvin and aims to represent the competitive, financial, and personal interests of all professional women cyclists. However, it has not yet been recognized as an official union by the UCI.

In the letter, the TCA stated that it is "more important than ever" to begin being integrated into the decision-making process.

"We are writing today to ask you to engage with us riders through the TCA. We all look to the UCI for leadership, support for the women's team, and involvement in decision-making, and we believe that the TCA can add value to any discussion.

"As riders, we are committed to working with the growing sport and its governing body in a constructive and transparent manner. We want to be represented by an organization that is trustworthy, committed, understands us and has brought tremendous value to so many of us. Therefore, we seek to work with the TCA to endorse the Women's Peloton."

Van Dijk expanded on his concerns over the UCI's revision of the international road calendar, saying that "women's cycling is being ignored," the Dutch news media NOS (opens in new tab) reported Friday.

"It is terrible that decisions are made for the boys and girls are completely ignored. It's infuriating to be told about plans for women a month later," she told NOS.

Of the 22-round Women's World Tour, only one race, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road in February, was held this year. Currently, only eight races remain on the original schedule.

In an announcement Wednesday, the UCI said it had suspended all races until July 1 due to health precautions. Working with race organizers, the UCI is attempting to determine changes in dates for postponed events and to develop a calendar for the second half of the season.

The UCI has made it clear that priority will be given to the three Grand Tours and five Monuments, as well as the World, European, and National Championships.

The UCI and ASO confirmed that the Tour de France will run from August 29 to September 20; ASO also confirmed that they are working on a new date for the women's one-day race la course.

"We are well aware that the Tour de France and men's cycling are priorities. 'We understand very well that the Tour de France and men's cycling are priorities. We feel we are not being represented."

Dear UCI, The coronavirus pandemic is a global health crisis affecting all sectors as well as the daily lives of millions of people. These are unprecedented times and our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones and are struggling with the negative effects of the disease and the economy. We are also concerned about the impact on women's professional cycling, as we represent a women's peloton elected by our peers to represent the Cyclist Alliance (TCA). We are even more concerned about the lack of adequate representation from the women's side in the ongoing discussions about this pandemic and the challenges it poses.

The UCI's recent statement (April 15) did not include details of its approach to the women's race calendar, nor did it detail with whom it is consulting to make these decisions. This indicates that discussions are still ongoing.

The TCA was established two and a half years ago with the support of the women's peloton to represent our interests, and that the TCA - along with other stakeholders within the sport - is actively engaged by the UCI to fully represent women's cycling and that the impact on riders is at the forefront of every decision It is more important than ever to ensure that the As a result, we write to you today to ask that you engage with our riders through the TCA so that together we can develop strategies to sustain and improve women's cycling. We all look to the UCI for leadership, support for women's teams, and involvement in decision-making, and we believe that the TCA can add value to any discussion.

As players, we are committed to working with the growing sport and governing body in a constructive and transparent manner. We want to be represented by an organization that we trust, that is committed, that understands us, and that has brought tremendous value to so many of us. Therefore, we ask that you work with the TCA to approve the Women's Peloton.

We await your response,

Marianne Voss, Audrey Cordon-Lago. Ashley Moolman Passio. Amanda Spratt. Christine Majerus. Leah Kirchman Ariane Luthi and Ellen Van Dyke