When Kim Le Court-Pienaar powered to victory on stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, few would have guessed she had started the day feeling below her best. But speaking after donning the yellow jersey, the Mauritian rider revealed that she was on her period, adding, “My body is more tired than normal. That’s what we women deal with.”
Le Court’s frank admission is part of a growing shift within the women’s peloton – one that is bringing menstruation, fuelling, and overall rider health into open discussion. Her AG Insurance-Soudal teammate Justine Ghekiere wasn’t surprised by the openness.
Photo Credit: Unipublic/Naike Ereñozaga“They’re really proactive about it in the team,” Ghekiere said. “We input all our data, and the team looks at how to best support us on those days.”
That support includes physiological interventions, such as cooling mattresses to help manage raised core temperature. “When I’m on my period, my body runs hotter,” Ghekiere explained. “So the mattress helps lower that, and it makes a difference.”
The approach marks a dramatic departure from the culture of just a decade ago. “Back when I raced, it was considered better not to have your period at all,” said Marijn de Vries on Maarten en Marijn. “You were so thin it often stopped altogether. Now, it’s seen as a sign of health, and teams encourage menstruation.”
For Ghekiere, the changes reflect the professionalisation of the women’s side of the sport – especially within AG Insurance-Soudal. “This is my third year with the team and things are becoming close to perfect. You can see that in the results.”
At EF Education-Oatly, the topic of rider health has become central to the team’s identity, in part thanks to riders like Cédrine Kerbaol. Sixth overall at last year’s Tour and in GC contention again this July, Kerbaol has become a vocal advocate for athlete health and fuelling.
“Cycling is in a dangerous moment,” she told L’Humanité. “The pressure to lose weight has gone too far. It’s fashionable to weigh everything on your plate, but we’re starting to see the costs. It shouldn’t be normal to have decalcified bones at 20, or to not have your period anymore.”
Kerbaol, who holds a diploma in nutrition, created the @f.e.e.d_powr Instagram project to break down taboos and promote long-term rider health. “Before being athletes, we are women, and our health matters – not just now, but for the future,” she said. The platform has since featured contributions from Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner and young Canadian rider Magdeleine Vallieres.
Photo Credit: GettyFaulkner said she would not have won her gold medals without prioritising her strength over leanness: “I needed to optimise for being the strongest, healthiest Kristen.” Vallieres, meanwhile, recently had her period return after six years and called it “a good moment… it means I’m healthy again.”
Even so, the physical and emotional effects of menstruation remain inconsistent from rider to rider. Emma Norsgaard, speaking on her podcast La Course du Gossip, said: “Personally, I don’t feel like the same person. I don’t want to race the Tour de France if I have my period.” But she also stressed how proud she feels when her body functions normally. “It’s not only about performance on the bike. You will benefit in general life.”
That performance-health balance is not always easy to strike. “You want to be healthy, but sometimes you need to make results,” Norsgaard admitted. “In road cycling, weight is everything. It’s a really difficult sport for this. You see skinny girls making results, and not-skinny girls making results. There’s no simple answer.”
Some teams previously used hormonal contraception to manage or avoid periods during big races. But that trend appears to be changing. EF Education-Oatly team doctor Eder Etxeverria recently told NOS that hormonal manipulation is now reserved for “exceptional cases”.
As the discussion broadens, riders like Kerbaol and Le Court-Pienaar are helping shift perspectives, both within and beyond the peloton. Kerbaol summed it up: “We must not fall into a form of dehumanisation. We’re not just data points. We’re people.”
