Racing

Our Tour de France Femmes seven

Plenty of opportunities for our squad at the Tour

August 7, 2024

Kristen Faulkner. Alison Jackson. Noemi Rüegg. Lotta Henttala. Kim Cadzow. Magdeleine Vallieres. Clara Emond.

These are the seven riders we are bringing to race the Tour de France Femmes.

Our roster features a mix of strengths and talents. We have Tour de France veterans and rookies, sprinters and climbers, and no shortage of teammates ready to turn themselves inside out for one another.

From the punchy, classics-style stages in the Netherlands and Belgium, to the relentless climbs in France, our squad is ready and eager to take on the race’s eight stages. Hear from our riders about their hopes and goals for the final grand tour on our calendar – and be sure to fire up the barbecue for Alison.

Magdeleine Vallieres
This is my third time racing the Tour de France and I realized this is my eighth grand tour so I feel like I can enter the Tour with a lot more confidence than I had in the past. I have a lot more experience around everything from knowing how to recover to what to expect in the race itself. I’m really, really excited about it.

The stage I’m most looking forward to is stage four. It really suits our team super well. It’s a bit similar to Liegè-Bastonge-Liegè where we did quite well with Kim in the breakaway. I think this squad is super strong. We have a lot of riders who can do well on this stage. If we come together as a team, we can really achieve something great, not just on this stage but on most stages. It will be super special to have the last stage on Alpe d’Huez, on such a special and mythical climb. It’s going to be a special Tour. It’s the first one with this team so I’m looking forward to being with the squad and also the RaceTV room reviews of course!

Noemi Rüegg
I’m feeling really excited and really motivated for the Tour. The Olympics gave me a really good feeling and a lot of confidence that I’m in really good shape at the moment. I think everything is possible at the Tour and we have a really, really strong team. The Tour is always such a big race so the motivation is for sure here. I will enjoy a few days and try to gain as much energy as I can and then have to focus again for the Tour.

Stages four and five are the ones I am most looking forward to. I think they suit me the best. A little punchy, always up and down, similar to the course at the Olympics. These are the races that suit me well. With the strength of our team, we can be there. If we play it out well, we can really go for the win in one of these stages. Everyday we have a great opportunity waiting for us.

Alison Jackson
We’re looking for stage wins! My goal is to be the dream maker at the Tour. I'm going to be the teammate that says, “And here’s a stage win for you! Annnnd you! You get a stage win! And you get a stage win!” I want to be the number one hype gurl for my teammates and support them non-stop. And I'm excited for the Alpe d’Huez because I really want a burger. Fans, I’m looking at you to bring me that burger hand up on the climb. I can’t wait to check Alpe d’Huez off the bucket list!

Lotta Henttala
The Tour de France is a super special race because it’s known worldwide. In Finland, people know the Olympics, world championships, and the Tour de France so it’s a pretty iconic race. I expect we will show some good teamwork which will then lead to good results. I think we can put all the pieces together and show our bright jersey on the front of the peloton.

Kristen Faulkner
The Olympic road race showed me that my form is really good, perhaps the best it’s ever been. I’m excited to take that into the Tour de France Femmes and try to win some stages. I’ve won stages at the Vuelta and Giro, so the Tour is one I still want to cross off the list. I’m also excited to support my teammates. I have been so focused on track and Olympic preparations that I haven’t raced with my EF-Oatly-Cannondale teammates since June. I’m so excited to reunite with them. It’s been too long.

Clara Emond
I’m looking forward to racing the team’s first Tour de France! It will be great. We have some riders who can do super well in the opening stages and some who can excel in the mountain stages in the second half of the Tour. Racing aggressively will be fun. After the Giro, I took some time to recover before I started building back again. I’m excited to test my form at the Tour.

Kim Cadzow
My goal is to get stuck into the racing. I want to enjoy the experience and support the team as best as possible. I expect the team to produce some stellar performances. I’m looking forward to getting to see what the atmosphere at the Tour is like! It’s a pinnacle cycling event so how can one not be a bit excited. Also we’ll get to drink a lot of Oatly at the Tour!

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