In the article, the author indicates an income that was close to the poverty line. It could be a one sided perspective, but I think it's safe to say it wasn't terribly lucrative.
No one is paying to line up alongside the Tour de France route, and the teams are usually sponsored by corporate interests who don't see a huge return on their investment.
So for most female athletes, like the cyclist in the article, to expect a paid career in sports after college is unrealistic, as they were subsidized by government mandate in the first place.
However, there is a market for sports-related models like Danica Patrick and the US women's Olympic soccer team where their athletic performance is really an after-thought. (Danica lost her ride recently because she couldn't win.)