BEND, OR -- On Day three of the Cascade Cycling Classic, the bicycle race makes its way around Cascade Lakes Highway, Friday, and organizers now say the women’s prize purse will be the same as the men’s, following public outcry over the disparity.
In a statement released Thursday, race organizers say there was a limited amount of money set aside for winners and due to minimum payout regulations they were initially unable to split the money equally. "The men's and the women's minimum are two different numbers," says MBSEF Executive Director John Schiemer. "We had actually increased the women's over the minimum but only to what we could do at the time." According to organizers, they started working on the issue three weeks ago, but didn't finalize details until Thursday. Controversy hit social media, earlier this week, after tech guides were released.
The women’s prize increased through help from title sponsor Regence BlueCross Blue Shield of Oregon, the Nicole Reinhart fund, MBSEF and private donations made through a GoFundMe page.
