Women have been struggling for racing money and recognition for decades. When I raced, the top tier racers all (except Connie Carpenter and Rebecca Twigg) had other jobs. Even the Olympians. Unfortunately for the likes of me, the fields were so small that all women raced together in one big group. I never raced against Twigg, but I did race against other top women racers of the 80s. Or rather, we started at the starting line together and they finished and I usually did not. It's very discouraging to be lapped in every race, and I was far from the only one being lapped, too.