The Homestretch Foundation is fighting against the gender pay gap that still exists in professional cycling. In the meantime, the nonprofit provides free temporary housing to help women athletes continue their training.
The nonprofit offers cyclists — and the occasional triathlete — residencies of either three or six months in the cycling mecca of Tucson, Ariz. Since it was founded seven years ago, Homestretch has helped 88 athletes from 18 countries. The organization grew out of founder Kathryn Bertine’s experience as a professional cyclist.
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The Homestretch Foundation is fighting against the gender pay gap that still exists in professional cycling. In the meantime, the nonprofit provides free temporary housing to help women athletes continue their training.
The nonprofit offers cyclists — and the occasional triathlete — residencies of either three or six months in the cycling mecca of Tucson, Ariz. Since it was founded seven years ago, Homestretch has helped 88 athletes from 18 countries. The organization grew out of founder Kathryn Bertine’s experience as a professional cyclist.
“Women didn’t even have a base wage,” says Bertine, who retired from cycling in 2017. “We had to carry sometimes two part-time jobs in addition to racing full-time just to make ends meet. And it became a near impossibility for so many of the best women in the world.”
Homestretch athletes live in a main home and two guest houses on the same property. Bertine says it’s wonderful to see them bond and support one another. “They immediately know they’re around like-minded women who are trying to accomplish the same goals that they are,” she says. “They take these connections into life beyond the bike.”
The organization hosts athletes from the second half of November to June, then closes down the houses during the brutal heat of July and August to save on utility bills. From September until the middle of November, the organization offers short-term rentals to individuals, teams, and training groups. The rental income provides another source of income for the organization in addition to individual donations.
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Bertine says it’s fun. “Sometimes we have professional triathletes who are gearing up for Ironman Kona [in Hawaii], and they come to Tucson in September or October for the heat-acclimation training.”
John Segesta
Lea Davison, a two-time Olympian who has had several residencies at Homestretch, rides the trails in Tucson’s Sweetwater Preserve.
The pay gap in cycling is changing slowly. Women racing at cycling’s highest level now have a minimum base salary, which is roughly equivalent to that guaranteed to men in the sport’s second tier. However, women racing in the sport’s second tier still have no base salary. Homestretch is now focused on helping those athletes.
Bertine says she’s often asked if she wants to expand Homestretch to other cities or countries. “I always laugh, and I tell people, ‘No, our ultimate goal is to shut down because women are paid equally.’”
