The race to the top of La Laguna Negra at La Vuelta Femenina in May was a pivotal moment for Évita Muzic. The French rider from FDJ-SUEZ not only secured a notable stage victory but also managed to beat Demi Vollering, providing her with a confidence boost as the Tour de France Femmes approaches.
Muzic will be racing alongside Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Grace Brown, Coralie Demay, Loes Adegeest, Amber Kraak, and Léa Curinier in this year’s Tour de France Femmes. The race, starting in the Netherlands and sweeping through Belgium, ultimately returns to France for the final three stages. It culminates in a challenging finale at Alpe d’Huez, a climb Muzic has dreamt of conquering.
“I was dreaming for Alpe d’Huez on the Tour de France,” Muzic said ahead of the race. “For sure, in my dream, I want to win on the top of Alpe d’Huez. But it’ll be about the legs. I think there will be no surprise that the legs, really will talk, and I hope to be good there and to do the best result for the team and for me, for all the preparation I have done.”
Muzic’s preparation has been rigorous, with high-altitude training while many of her competitors were in Paris for the Olympic Games. Missing the Olympics, particularly since they were hosted in her home nation, was a tough decision, but Muzic viewed it as advantageous for her Tour de France ambitions.
“At the beginning, I was disappointed to not be there for the Olympics, especially because it was in Paris,” Muzic admitted. “And yes, I was thinking to first go there but after, I was really focused on the positive side of this decision, and I think it’s better for the preparation.”
In 2022, Muzic finished eighth overall, but an illness forced her to abandon the 2023 race before the mountains. This year, however, she has significant goals, buoyed by her victory over Vollering. “It was, for sure, really cool to win, and especially in front of Demi, and now I have lots more confidence in me,” Muzic remarked. “Now I know I have beaten her one time, so I can do it one more time.”
Muzic’s confidence is echoed by FDJ Suez manager Stephen Delcourt, who explained the team’s high ambitions. “We have a dream together. We have a plan together,” he said. “Maybe it’s not for this year, maybe not for next year, but we have this line for the future, and we are ambitious. We know also that the contenders are really, really strong, but we are also really strong.”
The team has split the Tour into three blocks, according to Delcourt. The first stages, rife with wind and street furniture, will be about survival. Results here will shape the tactics for the rest of the race. The second block, beginning in Valkenburg and Liege, is seen as an opportunity, especially with the punchy stage 5 resembling a successful stage from 2022. The final block is the mountain stages, where the team will decide their approach based on their position in the general classification.
For Muzic, a successful Tour de France Femmes is “either a stage win or a really good general classification.” The ultimate dream, of course, is yellow. “Now the goal would be to lose as little time as possible on the three first stages and then the legs will really speak at the end,” said Muzic.
Stage 6 and 7 pass through Muzic’s home region, adding a personal touch to her ambition. “Stage 6 and 7 are in the region where I was born, so I directly switched my time to really focus on the Tour de France and the positive side of the decision,” Muzic shared.
The FDJ Suez team has also signed Juliette Labous, described by Delcourt as “one of the best riders in the world, one of the most complete in the peloton.” This move aligns with the team’s vision for women’s cycling and its future growth.
Delcourt and Muzic both see a bright future for the Tour de France Femmes, potentially extending it to more days in the coming years. “More days in the Tour de France, for example in the Giro it was 10 days in the Giro – maybe we can do 14 days with one rest day,” Muzic suggested. Delcourt added, “Physically we can push to three weeks, we can add foreign departure, we can add gravel stages. They are professional and ready.”
