‘Now little girls can see us’ – Marianne Vos, Elisa Longo-Borghini set to light up Tour de France Femmes

The greatest rider of all time, Marianne Vos, has been waiting her entire life for this.

“As a kid I remember our holidays, going to watch the Tour de France and being on the side of the road,” she told the Cycling Show. “It was very special.”

Not that she ever expected to be competing herself.

“To be honest I never thought of being part of the Tour de France when we were on Alpe d’Huez, or whatever finish place we were, cheering for the guys. Being part of it now, that’s something else.”

Vos will line up with her Jumbo Visma team-mates and one of the strongest fields to ever take to the start of a women’s stage race. Since the revival of the event was announced by ASO in May 2021, practically every professional has had it on their radar.

It was less watching the men’s race that inspired Vos to take up cycling than sibling rivalry.

“As a five year-old girl my older brother went into cycling,” she says. “Soon enough I wanted to ride a bike myself. My parents got me the tiniest bike they could find. When I was nearly six I joined a club.” Vos had to wait another two years before she was able to compete. Objectively, not long, but an aeon for one so young.

After that, her rise towards excellence was as rapid as her leg speed. Vos, now 35, took the first of her World Championship titles on the road in 2004, at the age of just 17. Since then she has won almost everything in the sport.

The Tour de France Femmes, however, is not merely an opportunity to add to her already stellar palmarès.

“Every race has a story,” she say. “If it’s a win, or even if it’s not a win. For me, everything is an experience.”

‘Now little girls can see us, that is amazing’

Like Vos, for Elisa Longo-Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) cycling has always been a family affair.

“I started cycling because of my brother Paolo,” the Italian says. “He’s a few years older than me. I wanted to always stay with him. For me [cycling] was a way to stay closer to my brother. He’s my hero. Maybe he was not the best cyclist in the world, but for me, he was.”

Paolo was no slouch, though. Now retired, he made it into the professional ranks, enjoying spells with Barloworld, before ending his career at Liquigas–Cannondale.

Elisa’s mother and father never discouraged their daughter from following in her male sibling’s tyremarks, or doing it in anything other than her own way.

“I remember [Paolo] in his kit,” she says. “It was white, red and blue. I asked my parents: ‘You know, the outfit that they are using after the race, can we use a dress, instead of pants?’ My parents started laughing and said: ‘You can use whatever you want. You are free.’”

That may explain why the first words she uses to describe herself are “stubborn, determined”.

Though she has not won quite as many titles as Vos, Longo-Borghini has enjoyed great success throughout her career, and is now widely seen as one of the stars of the sport. At 30 years old she appears to be peaking at the perfect time, having enjoyed perhaps her most successful season to date.

It all bodes well for the Tour de France Femmes, which starts on Sunday.

Though the Tour de France Femmes is a completely new version of the race, Longo-Borghini is keen to ensure no one forgets those who came before her.

“Something I always underline is that this won’t be the first Tour de France,” she says. “Many women have already ridden the Tour de France. They did something that in the end played out a big goal for us. This shouldn’t be forgotten.”

She is nothing less than delighted that, after 35 years when there has only been a men’s edition of the race, the women’s version is back. Longo-Borghini knows what that will mean.

“Now little girls can see us, and that is amazing.”

– – –