The Tour de France Femmes this year has a distinctly Dutch flavour. Notably, three and a half stages will take place in the Netherlands. The epicentre is Rotterdam, hosting the Grand Départ. European champion Mischa Bredewold eagerly awaits the start in the Maasstad. The 23-year-old from Amersfoort is especially excited about the Grand Départ. “That start is going to be super special! When I rode my first Tour in 2022, it was suddenly massive. Much bigger than we, as a peloton, had expected. That was when we realised the reach we can generate with our profession. It was a very nice confirmation.”
“To now be the face of the Grand Départ in Rotterdam, I find super cool! It’s great to help put our sport more on the map among both men and women in our country. If I can contribute to that, then gladly!”
Bredewold also rode in last year’s Tour, which was dominated by her team, SD Worx-Protime. “It was very cool to be there. Demi Vollering was the absolute top favourite. That was really exciting. We all felt that pressure and shared it with each other. We really lived with Demi. You experience everything in such an intense way.”
After an eight-day race, Bredewold notes, the women’s tour is not comparable to the three-week men’s version. Still, she highlights the strengthening effect post-Tour. “Absolutely, that’s undeniable. I’m someone who gets a lot better after a stage race and rest afterwards.”
“Although our Tour isn’t really longer than other multi-stage races, the distances, difficulty, and the level of the peloton are considerably higher. Everyone is at their absolute best. It’s a huge difference. After a week like that, you’re exhausted. If you then rest properly and recover, you fly afterwards.”
There’s also a strong call within and outside the peloton to equalise salaries between men and women in cycling. Bredewold addresses this by noting critics who believe women should ride the same distances. “A three-week Tour is probably too long for us, but I am definitely in favour of extending the Tour over time to two weeks. It should happen. I think the Tour de France Femmes definitely deserves to be longer than a week.”
