Do you realise what has happened over the past few days?
Imogen: “No, not really. It’s such a big deal in sport, it’s almost impossible to imagine. When I open my phone and see the photos, all the wonderful memories come flooding back.”
Femke: “I still can’t believe we won the yellow jersey. We all knew Pauline was in great shape, but this was beyond everyone’s expectations.”
Marion: “I still feel like I’m dreaming. When I think back on the past few days, I wonder if it really happened. I need to let it all sink in.”
Pauline said that a little girl’s dream had come true. Do you feel the same way?
Femke: “In May 2024, I didn’t even know if I would become a professional cyclist, and now I’m part of the winning Tour de France team. It’s truly a dream come true. From the beginning of the year, the focus was on this goal, and we trained our hearts out to be in top form at the start. That it turned out this way couldn’t be better. For me, this is the icing on the cake.”
Marion: “I remember Rutger Tijssen (team manager) saying the day before the stage to the Col de la Madeleine: “We have to dare to dream big”. I’ll try to remember that sentence forever. Because what he says is true: you have to dream big. Pauline has shown that dreams can come true.”
Imogen: “Last year, I watched the Tour de France Femmes on television and never thought for a moment that I would be there myself a year later. It felt very far away at the time. It just shows how much can change in a year.”