Antoine Duchesne (Europcar) and Hugo Houle (Ag2r La Mondiale) will both thus no longer receive about $11,000 annually each as part of the Athlete Assistance Program (AAP), a Sport Canada funding program that is administered through Cycling Canada in the case of cyclists.
As reported previously, late in 2014 both riders requested exemption from a new clause stipulating that cyclists who have signed with a Pro-Continental or WorldTour team are not eligible for Sport Canada AAP funding support. For a more detailed explanation of the situation, click here.
Duchesne, who previously stated that this carding money represents 30 to 40% of his annual budget, revealed that he earns the minimum salary for a rider with Europcar – about $34,000 yearly.
Ag2r La Mondiale is a WorldTour team while Europcar is a Professional Continental team. Despite this lower status, Europcar has benefited from “wildcard” invitations to compete in the Tour de France in recent years. In 2015, Europcar, MTN-Qhubeka, Bora-Argon 18 (formerly NetApp-Endura), Cofidis, and Bretagne-Seche Environnement have been given such wildcards.
Read the RDI article here (in French).