What does it take to complete the Tour de France?

(Marie Istil)

published 13 December 2020

What does it really take for Joe or Jill Bloggs – normal amateur riders – to complete the full route of this year’s Tour de France? We don’t need to speculate, because a group of amateur women have just returned home from doing just that.

Each year for the last six years, international team Donnons des elles au Vélo has ridden the route of the Tour de France as part of their campaign calling for a women’s Tour de France, while raising the profile of women’s cycle racing. The team consists of 13 riders, selected from around 100 applicants. Guests (men and women) can accompany the group on the rides, though it is the women’s team that takes centre stage. In a normal year, they ride each stage one day ahead of the pros, but due to the pandemic, this year’s ride took place one month ahead.

The women trained specifically for the Tour route over eight months, despite being constrained by lockdown. One of the riders, Claire Floret, suffered from Covid-19 symptoms, leaving her with neurological issues including loss of taste and depression. Other participants – Magali Lagarde, Soléne Marquet and Valerie Jeudy worked on the frontline as nurses, juggling training with the demands of their job – it didn’t stop them from covering thousands of kilometres in preparation for the challenge.

“The main climb, Col de Turini, was a seven per cent gradient over 15km. I had stomach problems and struggled to digest my food. The discomfort went away after the climb, and it was a great descent. But when we went into the Col d’Eze, things got tougher. Although it is not a tough climb, it came at the end of the day of 38ºC heat, and it was demoralising going up Col d’Eze descending into Nice and then having to climb back up it again.

“I was familiar with Col de Soudet, and had ridden Col de Marie Blanque from Bielle in the past. But riding it towards Laruns was a lot harder, and the last 4km had ramps of over 12 per cent. I followed the wheel of some of the better climbers – Solène and Aline [Clément], who were just ahead of me. My brother rode with us and that motivated me to try harder. A women’s group, Extra Miles, also joined us and that gave an increased feminine presence on the road.”

“This was the longest stage and was approached with trepidation, as it was a constant succession of ups and downs, with the toughest climbs towards the end. This type of stage is harder than Alpine stages where you have a long climb and a long descent to recover. Today the descents weren’t long enough to recover, and we were always working. I am a rouleur-puncheur rider, but with all the efforts we had done so far, this stage was a stretch for me.

“At 50km in, we got soaked to the skin after a violent storm, and didn’t dry out for the rest of the day. It was tough riding through-and-off into the wind, and after 200km, with heavy legs we tackled the Suc de Mary, which felt like riding up a wall. It was a real test on our motivation. On our arrival in Corrèze, we were welcomed by the local councillor who rewarded us with a free visit to the Jacques Chirac Museum!”

This stage went through Auvergne over the ancient lava domes (or Puy). Although there are no cols, the area is constantly undulating with six climbs to crest. Yesterday was the longest stage of the day, while today had the most climbing: 4,400m. Puy Mary had some 15-16 per cent ramps in the last 3km. The encouragement by the spectators on the climb was the thing that kept us going, and it was particularly emotional for me, as this is my home region.

Coraline Conan says: “We were quite euphoric and got a morale boost after Christian Prudhomme came to see us and congratulated us on our ride. He said that our efforts had contributed towards ASO deciding to organise a women’s stage race in 2022. Our ride was interrupted on the Col du Béal when we had to give way to the pro riders doing this route as Stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphine Libéré.”

“This was my worst stage. As a road racer, I am used to 60km crits. I train six times per week, doing rides in the morning and crossfit with Claire [Floret] in the afternoons. I also do long rides, and after lockdown I rode La Route des Grandes Alpes to prepare for this tour. But riding 200km per day for three weeks was a step up for me. By the time we were doing this stage, I had terrible pains in my knees, and achy glutes. The first climb, Montée de la Selle de Fromentel was hell, with the gradient going to 24 per cent. The final climb, Grand Colombier, was less steep, but was the longest. I was also suffering from sleep deprivation – drinking a lot of coffee to get through the days. I really appreciated the upcoming rest day and the chance to get a good massage.”

“I had been looking forward to doing this stage, and wanted to ride it well. However, with all the cumulative miles in my legs, I couldn’t ride it as fast as I would have liked. We’d had a rest day two days before, and it took me time to get back into the rhythm. Rest days are useful, but if I don’t ride at all, my legs get stiff. A mix-up over trucks meant that I couldn’t access my bike on the rest day, so I spent stage 16 trying to get my legs back into pedalling.

“After that long day, I skipped the evening meal, preferring sleep over food. However, I still felt tired and sleepy during this stage, especially on the Col de la Madeleine. But the ultra-rider in me pushed me on. I felt I owed it to myself and my training to carry on. I knew that if I stopped at the side of the road, I wouldn’t get back on. I focused totally on pushing the pedals while blocking everything else out of my mind, including the pain. I also told myself that this is a privilege, as there are many women around the world who aren’t allowed to ride a bike. Col de la Loze, with its new, 14-20 per cent gradient cycle path, was another test. I had just enough energy to hang on to Ofélie’s wheel. Along the way, I ran out of water. Eventually our support motorbike came by and I grabbed a Coke. It was a life-saver!”

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Maria David is a freelance writer who spent five years living and working in Paris

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