She Rides

TdFF Stage 1&2 debrief with Connie Hayes

In the lead-up to our favourite race of the year, Saar and Kristof sit down with Océane Mahé — a French rider on a French team, Ma Petite Entreprise, about to make her Tour de France Femmes debut. On top of racing, she's also a full-time student and interning at one of her own team's sponsors. She talks us through how she fits it all in one week, what makes a small team feel different from the big-budget squads, and how she's feeling going into her first ever Tour.

After that, Saar and Kristof go stage by stage through the whole race — jerseys, dark horses, and predictions they don't even agree on themselves

This week Saar talks with Lien Schampaert.

She just turned 19, races cyclocross in winter "to not be bored," and somehow pulled off that chaotic sprint finish at GP Schellebelle. Lien tells us what it's like lining up next to Lotte Kopecky and Zoe Backstedt, and a rough moment during the Baloise Ladies Tour that had her in tears mid-race. She also talks balancing racing with school, working in a coffee bar where nobody knows what cycling even is, and dreaming about turning pro and getting the chance to ever try and beat Lorena Wiebe

This week Saar and Kristof chat with Carys Lloyd, the 19-year-old Movistar sprinter who's earned herself an unofficial title: Lorena Wiebes beater. She talks through that wild, hail-soaked breakthrough win, why terrible weather might actually be her secret weapon, and what it means to make her Commonwealth Games debut for Wales this summer. We also get into her Lego obsession (it's cost her more than cycling ever has), the mindset she's chasing from teammate Marlen Reusser, and a rapid-fire round of This or That. Plus, a preview of the Baloise Ladies Tour with our predictions for who comes out on top. A great listen with one of the brightest young sprinters in the peloton.

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Here's a Spotify-style episode summary for the Olivia episode:

Episode 80: From field hockey to the front of the bunch with Olivia Verkruysse

She only started cycling a few years ago — first field hockey, then triathlon, then falling in love with the bike. Now Olivia Verkruysse is riding her first season with the Fenix devo team and already turning heads: 2nd in the U23 race and top 10 overall at Belgian Nationals, all while working for the team, not for herself.

In this episode, Olivia opens up about the scary-exciting jump into WorldTour bunches, learning the ropes from teammates like Charlotte Kool, and why development teams matter for riders whose bodies (and race brains) are still catching up to the racing. She talks lead-out duty, unexpected top-10s, and the confidence that comes from doing your job well. Off the bike, she's studying law (dentistry was the original plan, one point away), and explains how the books actually help her switch off from training.

We also run through the Belgian Nationals recap, break down the Ronde van Vlaanderen-style startlist for her next race, and close out with a rapid-fire this-or-that and her Tour de France hot take: Charlotte Kool over Lorena Wiebes in a sprint.

🎧 New episode of She Rides, out now.

Want me to also do a shorter Instagram caption version, or pull out standalone quotes for a carousel like we've done before?

shorter and the name is Olivia Vercruysse. start with=

Thought for 0s

Thought for 0s

start with: thios week saar is joined by olivia vercruysse

This week Saar is joined by Olivia Vercruysse, a first-year Fenix devo rider who only picked up cycling a few years ago (via field hockey and triathlon) and is already turning heads — 2nd in the U23 race and top 10 overall at Belgian Nationals.

They talk about the jump into WorldTour bunches, learning from teammates like Charlotte Kool, working for the team over chasing her own results, and studying law on the side (dentistry was the original plan, missed by one point). They close with a Belgian Nationals recap, a look at her next start list, and a rapid-fire this-or-that ending in her Tour de France hot take: Charlotte Kool over Lorena Wiebes in a sprint.

🎧 New episode of She Rides, out now.

more coomon vocab pls

This week Saar is joined by Olivia Vercruysse, a first-year Fenix devo rider who only started cycling a few years ago (via field hockey and triathlon) and is already making a name for herself — 2nd in the U23 race and top 10 overall at Belgian Nationals.

They talk about her jump into the WorldTour peloton, learning from teammates like Charlotte Kool, working for the team instead of going for her own results, and studying law on the side (dentistry was the original plan, missed by one point). They wrap up with a Belgian Nationals recap, a preview of her next race, and a quick this-or-that ending in her Tour de France hot take: Charlotte Kool beats Lorena Wiebes in a sprint.

Two weeks of women's cycling news in one episode. Saar and Kristof work through the Giro Women finale, Tour de Suisse, Volta a Catalunya, and a packed nationals week — Kristof's boring but winning picks included and Saar bringing the hot takes!

In this episode, Saar talks with Michelle Knappmann, a Danish paracyclist and handbiker who started the sport at 27 after a serious injury left her unable to ride a regular bike. Michelle opens up about the frustrating reality of being judged as 'too able' to compete at elite level, the lack of media coverage in paracycling, and what it actually takes to train as a disabled athlete with chronic pain. She also shares her next big goal: attacking the world hour record — and dares World Tour teams like Lidl-Trek and Uno-X to sponsor her while she does it.

Saar and Kristof catch up on a chaotic first week at the Giro — Wiebes gets kicked out over a 20-gram bike drama, Balsamo takes over and suddenly can't stop winning sprints, Van der Breggen comes out of nowhere to crush the TT, and everyone's hyped for the Finestre showdown. Plus the usual hot takes and a GC prediction they don't agree on.

Saar and Kristof preview the Giro Women start list team by team, make their stage and GC predictions, and wrap up the Spanish racing block including Burgos + the Dutch/Belgian one-day races.

GC picks: Saar goes Gigante, Kristof is backing Niamh Fisher-Black — make or die for his hottest take of the season. Everyone expects Wiebes to win the sprints, but we're up for a surprise.

This week Anna Dubier joins Saar and Kristof — an 18 year old Australian who flew thousands of dollars across the world to race bikes in Belgium, won a rainbow jersey along the way, and is already thinking about the kind of athlete she wants to be remembered as. They talk racing in Europe on a tight budget, hiding your pain behind a poker face, and why the results are only half the story.