No, Middle-Aged Man in Lycra, You Can’t Keep Up with Tour de France Femmes Riders

What happens when a strong amateur cyclist goes on a training ride with a professional women’s pro tour team? OutsideTV‘s Chris Leavell found out the hard way — and the result is one of the most honest, entertaining looks at the gap between “pretty good” and “world-class” you’ll see this year.

Leavell gets invited to train with St. Michel — a pro team gearing up for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift — at their Boulder altitude camp. Outside CEO Robin Thurston tags along for the suffering. Both men know they’re about to hang on for dear life. No bravado, just a guy who thinks he’s fit finding out what fit actually means.

The stakes ramp fast: 150 kilometers, 100-degree heat, and a course that lulls you into false confidence on the flats before the mountains deliver their verdict. It’s a front-row seat inside the paceline as the riders get pulled into race-pace rotations — thrilling until the road tips up.

The real drama hits on the Super James climb. Four St. Michel riders — including standout Alison Jackson — vanish up the road like it’s nothing, and the tension of watching Leavell’s “elastic” stretch, then snap, is genuinely sobering.

But the story doesn’t end at the summit. In a final gut-check, Leavell pushes on to Brainard Lake with a select few riders — only to get quietly, politely dropped by rider Emilie Morier, who chats casually the entire time she’s riding him off her wheel. It’s funny, humbling, and it lands the story’s real point.

This isn’t a puff piece and it isn’t a comedy stunt — it’s a genuine, respectful showcase of just how elite these women are, told through the eyes of someone tough enough to try to keep up and honest enough to admit he couldn’t. Anyone who loves cycling, underdog stories, or a good “the pros make it look easy and it is not easy” reveal will want to watch this one through to the end.

Catch the full ride — and root for St. Michel heading into the Tour de France Femmes.

Related TV Series: R&D on OutsideTV

See the route: View on Map My Ride