Cycling documentaries are a big thing at the moment. Movistar had their Netflix one which gave us insights into some of the behind-the-scenes fun of the Spanish team. Jumbo-Visma also produced one of their recent Tour de France which they showed via their website with a ticketing system. Soudal Quick-Step will get in on the act this Spring and there’s also the cycling version of Drive to Survive on the way as well. SD Worx had the camera around during last year’s Tour de France Femmes and will produce what is possibly the first version from the women’s peloton.
The rebooted Tour de France Femmes feels like a natural starting point for such a documentary with the amount of attention that race got. As the highest-ranked team, SD Worx felt they could boost their profile even further with the documentary. The cameras followed the team at training camps, visiting riders at home, during route recons and general behind-the-scenes stuff at the race. Produced by Flemish company Zebra63, the documentary will last 4 episodes at 45 minutes each. Dutch Amazon will show it first from March 15th and then the Belgian TV channel Canvas from April 17th 2023.
Attention is paid to Marlen Reusser’s stage victory on the gravel and also the GC battle which saw Demi Vollering ultimately finish 2nd to Annemiek Van Vleuten but went home with the polka dot jersey for the Queen of the Mountain’s classification.
“The Tour de France Femmes was my highlight last year. I was really looking forward to this race, especially since the last two stages through the Vosges were close to my home in Switzerland. In the run-up, more attention was already being paid to the Tour from all angles. You already felt how special it was going to be. It was only afterwards that I realised how great this was. It was special to be followed in this course by the documentary makers.
It also took some getting used to, because with everything there was now a camera aimed at us. However, this quickly became normal. I think it has become a very nice documentary, where you are taken behind the scenes and get to know us better as riders. But it also becomes clear how important a team around us is.”
Demi Vollering
