<\/a><\/p>\nMaking it to the Tour<\/h2>\n Then I received a phone call from my DS. I was selected to be part of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes team. I felt like I had to salute, stand for duty in my living room and dial up my preparation with immediate effect. The very next week, I was off on a recon weekender with two other Women’s WorldTour riders, Tota Magalh\u00e3es from Movistar and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney from Canyon-SRAM and their partners. We set off to tackle the mythical Mont Ventoux, home to the Queen stage of this year’s Tour de France Femmes and a monstrous undertaking for anyone on a bike.<\/p>\n
Although the three of us have very different roles and capabilities, it was still fun to discuss over coffee how we saw the race playing out, and it was quite cool to see the finesse and speed 2024 winner Kasia delivered as she ascended Mont Ventoux. It will certainly be a showdown for the ages.<\/p>\n
The Tour de France is without doubt the most hotly contested stage race in our calendar. Every single rider on the start line has done the most to show up in their season-best form; we have all worked hard high at various summer ski resorts through July to ensure no stone is left unturned.<\/p>\n
My team, UAE Team L’IMAD, retreated to the familiar jagged mountains and snaking roads of Passo San Pellegrino in the Dolomites to fine-tune our preparation. Located on a quiet dead-end road at 1,800m elevation, we were fuelled with home-cooked Italian cuisine and supported by a network of physios, coaches, nutritionists and, of course, thrived off one another. We suffered together \u2013 but I will say, I believe I suffered a bit more, climbing mountains, in the wake of the GC riders.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nA post shared by Brodie Mai Chapman (@brodie_mai)<\/p><\/p>\nA photo posted by on <\/p>\n
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Behind the scenes, while we riders lay on the massage tables or relaxed in our beds after a hard day on the pedals, the whole team is in full planning mode. There is equipment to be considered (which model of Colnago for which days? Which gearing do you want?), the logistics of riders arriving from all over Europe, health management, strategic considerations. Our DS and aerodynamic specialist are in France doing recons of all the stages. The coaches are monitoring our load and preparing reports for the performance team, the materials staff are allocating new kit, the chef is preparing a menu for the Tour, the media team is scheduling interviews and photoshoots.<\/p>\n
Our job now is to respect the balance between work and rest, do our homework and learn the demands of each stage, take notes from VeloViewer and count down the days to the start in Lausanne.<\/p>\n
I feel ready, hungry, excited and nervous all at once. I expect fast, aggressive racing and a spectrum of emotions as each stage passes. We are all there to win.<\/p>\n
Stay tuned for my next column as the race unfolds.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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