Wheel Talk

The crowds at the start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift highlighted just how impactful the race has become. In the Grand Depart of its fifth edition, the Tour remains the biggest race for the women's peloton, with the best riders fighting for the win. All the top riders were at the front today, but one in particular proved herself the best and redeemed herself in the process.

Abby and Loren report from the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes with special guest Andy McGrath. Before the stage, Abby sat down with Dominique Powers to talk about photographing the race and how she's seen the Tour change over the years.

With audio diaries from Alice Towers (EF Education-Oatly), Nadia Gontova (Liv AlUla Jayco), and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Read Abby's story with Chrissie Wellington and Emma Pooley here. (edited) 

Every year the course changes, the contenders shift, but the Tour only grows in prestige. This year, the organizers have delivered what might just be the hardest course we've ever seen at the Tour. The time trial on stage 4 and the Queen Stage that finishes atop Mont Ventoux on stage 7 are standouts, but to win, every stage is important. 

Demi Vollering and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot might be the two everyone is talking about, but are Marlen Reusser and Anna van der Breggen the real threats in this Tour de France Femmes?

Here is a breakdown of the true contenders for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: those who have been on everyone's lips, and those who have quietly targeted the Tour and will stop at nothing to take the top honors.

Find the written piece here.

A few weeks before the start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Niamh Fisher-Black was in a hotel in Andorra with Lidl-Trek already preparing for the biggest race on the calendar. Fresh off a gutsy ride that landed her fifth overall at the Giro d'Italia, Niamh spoke with Abby about her progression in the sport and why it's important to always find the fun in racing a bike. 

In the build-up to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, we at Wheel Talk wanted to highlight a few riders. First: Antonia Niedermaier, German rider for Canyon-SRAM. Niedermaier finished second at the Giro d'Italia after a gutsy ride in the final stage. Going into the Tour, she will be riding support, but who knows what's next in store for this horse-loving phenom.

With the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starting on Saturday, Abby, Loren, Gracie, and Georgie break down the 2026 route in detail. 

Plus, Abby talked to Iris Slappendel about the Cheer Squad that will be on Mont Ventoux for stage 7.

This week, with the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on the horizon, Abby, Loren, Gracie, and Georgie draft their own teams for the nine-day race. But first, they talk about the Baloise Ladies Tour and Kate Courtney's introduction to road racing with the top team in the WorldTour. 

A disclaimer: the finalized rosters for the Tour are not out, so the draft is based on assumptions. Adjustments will be made once the final start list is released. 

This week on the podcast, Abby sat down with Elise Chabbey, top rider for FDJ United-Suez and winner of Strade Bianche, to talk about how she found out she was pregnant and what her thought process was after. With big goals on the horizon, what does the time away from the peloton mean for the Swiss rider, and for her team? 

This week, Abby, Loren, and Gracie talk about the recent news that Elise Chabbey and Emma Norsgaard are pregnant, Kate Courtney, ice socks and the future of the sport amid the recent heat waves, and BTS. 

This week, Abby sat down with Rebecca Charlton, commentator for TNT and Wheel Talk regular, to talk about her mid-Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift cancer diagnosis in 2025 and the year that followed.  Rebecca talks about how cycling helped her through the hardest year of her life, how everything impacted her as a mother, and more. 

We are back to our regularly scheduled podcast this week as Abby, Gracie, and Georgie talk all things Tour de Suisse. From Zoe Backstedt to Marlen Reusser, from horrendous heat to that time trial on stage 4, there's a lot to say about the final WorldTour race before the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in over a month.