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The same could be said of the men though, no? There's not many of them who are full time either.
Whether we like it or not, cx is a niche sport and is much more about participation than spectating here. It's only really in Belgium where the reverse is true.
andyp-
Not nearly as much. CX is a niche sport but its one where participation for women is close to equal in accessibility as it is for men. Although there is disparity in prize money, in any given event, there is a race available for women. The same is not even close to true for road racing, circuit racing, crits etc. So what we see is a lot of talent for women appearing in CX, MTB and other co-race disciplines or track. Men on the road showing some talent can go pro infinitely more easily and many have developed through CX. I don't think there's as much scope for the current national field of CX men to go pro as there would be for the women if funding and corporate interest across the board were equal.
I think it's a pretty dismal state if affairs that the Last's, Carter's, Payton's and Miller's of this world aren't being offered the opportunities that they would be if they were men of comparable capability.
The_Seldom_Killer
Apologies, Amira Mellor came second to Annie Last, not Annie Simpson.
Hard to understand why Last doesn't have a contract at the moment other than a depressing lack of money and corporate commitment to women's racing. A fair few women in the Elite field could be good pro riders if they were given the chance to do it full time.