She Rides

In this episode, Saar and Kristof catch up with Lotte Claes, now at Fenix Premier Tech after struggling to find a team for this season. They spend most of the episode breaking down a brilliant Strade Bianche — Elise Chabbey won a chaotic six-rider sprint, while bad luck, bad days and a race moto taking a wrong turn ruined the race for Kopecky, Vollering, Férrand-Prévot, Borghesi and others. Lotte talks about how much easier racing feels with a strong team around her. The episode ends in weird wat when Lotte has to suddenly leave mid-recording for a doping control.

Attention! Due to a rather empty Binda starting list we split up the episode - our Binda preview will be out at the end of the week!

Everyone’s favourite emergency backup, She Rides guest and part-time co-host Connie Hayes is back on the pod — just in time to unpack the chaos of Opening Weekend.

We talk through everything that happened at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, from Kasia Niewiadma's strength on the Muur to Lotte Kopecky’s bad luck at the worst possible moment, and the tough, cobbled battle at Le Samyn des Dames, where Connie found herself on the start line at the last minute.

We also look ahead to a big showdown at Strade Bianche Donne, where the biggest names in the sport will go head-to-head again.

In the final week before Omloop, Saar and Kristof are joined by Charlotte Vandenberghe, team doctor at Human Powered Health, for a look behind the scenes of the women’s peloton.

They talk race-day reality, concussion decisions, RED-S screening, menstrual cycles, mental health, and how teams balance performance with long-term rider wellbeing. Plus, there’s a quick cyclocross wrap-up, recent team news, and a full preview of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as Opening Weekend finally begins.

Less than 10 days before the spring classics, Saar & Kristof chat with Maja Leye, Head of Women at Flanders Classics, to talk about the growth of women’s cycling from the inside.

From equal prize money and increased TV coverage to Youth Days and building sustainable pathways for the next generation, Maja shares how Flanders Classics helped close the gap in the sport - and what challenges still lie ahead. We dive into race-day chaos, the strategy behind putting women’s races after the men’s, and what it really takes to organize classics like the Tour of Flanders and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Plus: hot takes ahead for the Classics season, riders who will surprise and why safety remains the ultimate priority.

In this episode of She Rides, we chat with Maggie Coles-Lyster to talk about her powerful comeback from iliac artery surgery, returning to winning , and racing in the era of sprint star Lorena Wiebes. 

We dive into tactics, thriving in chaotic sprints, rider safety, and the culture of women’s cycling, plus Maggie’s passion for yoga and life beyond the bike. 

We also recap the latest action from the UAE Tour Women, cyclocross, and look ahead to the spring classics. 

In this episode, we chat with Lieselot Decroix to talk about performance, passion, and sustainability in women’s cycling. From evidence-informed coaching and athlete ownership to fueling, data, and long-term health, Lieselot explains why putting healthy humans first is the foundation of lasting performance.
Plus, we recap all the latest racing action — with a generous dose of Lotte Kopecky bias added in by Saar.

In this episode of She Rides, Saar and Kristof chat with Jolien D’Hoore — Olympic medallist, former world champion, and now sports director at AG Insurance–Soudal.

Jolien takes us through her journey from the peloton to the team car, reflecting on pressure, leadership, classics racing, and the mental side of winning. We talk about being in the zone, cobbles, sharing victories, and how a beautiful career came to a bittersweet end.

Plus, of course, we recap all the latest racing action — from Lotte Kopecky’s killer individual pursuit time to Pieterse on a roll, and strong She Rides performances in Mallorca. With the cyclocross Worlds, Track Euros, and the UAE Tour just around the corner, the racing season is well and truly underway.

After a long break due to flu, Saar is back and chats with Francesca Selva, who returns to the podcast after more than a year.

Francesca reflects on her heart issues, the long road back to racing, her summer in the US, and the tough decision to leave endurance behind. She shares why switching to sprint feels like the right move, how it’s reignited her motivation, and what she hopes this new chapter will bring — both for herself and for track cycling as a whole.

Saar and Kristof enter the new year with a bang as Elisa Longo Borghini, one of the best riders of the last decade, joins them on the podcast.

From her first races inspired by her brother to winning monuments, Grand Tours and Olympic medals, Elisa looks back on a remarkable career and speaks openly about setbacks, pressure and motivation. She reflects on her lingering frustration with the World Championships, shares her unfiltered views on racing tactics, and tells us about that time in when she asked Emma Johansson how far it still was to the finish — only to learn the race wasn’t even halfway done. Along the way, Elisa dives into the evolution of women’s cycling, data versus instinct, the importance of family, and why racing to win — and nothing less remains her guiding principle.

This week Saar and Kristof look back at the Christmas period in cyclocross, with Lucinda Brand’s dominance front and center and a closer look at the riders catching the eye.

They also talk about Dutch track nationals, beach racing, and other off-season action before turning their attention to 2026. From team changes to expectations, they go through the squads one by one and discuss who could really impress next season.

And to wrap it all up, one conclusion is clear: Saar is in desperate need of road racing. ;) 2026, we’re ready!