Ladies Sandrine Tas ready for the biggest challenge of her career: “It's crazy that I'll be at the start of the Tour”

On Wednesday, Intermarché-Lotto Ladies announced its squad for the Tour de France Femmes, with Sandrine Tas as one of its key riders. The Belgian has enjoyed an impressive first road season, winning two stages at the Bretagne Ladies Tour and claiming two Belgian Championship medals. She had hoped to be selected for the Tour, but seeing that dream become reality still feels special.

"Deep down, riding the Tour had been a goal ever since I knew the team would take part," Tas says. "I missed the entire spring classics because I was still racing on the ice, so this was the first major goal I could set for myself. I wanted to prove that I deserved my place on the team. The fact that I actually made it is just incredible. I'm really happy and proud."

The realization that she will actually be lining up for the world's biggest women's cycling race has only grown stronger over the past few days. "Ever since the selection became official on Wednesday, it's really started to sink in. Last week I was a guest on Vive le Vélo, and that's when it already began to feel real. I haven't been fully focused on cycling for very long, so I'm trying to consciously enjoy this moment. It's absolutely crazy and a huge honour."

Tas looks back on her first months as a professional road cyclist with great satisfaction. "I'm always critical of myself, but looking back now, I'm just extremely satisfied. Maybe it's even gone better than I expected. At La Flèche Wallonne, my first WorldTour race, I immediately felt at home. That gave me a lot of confidence. Then I won two stages in Brittany and claimed two medals at the Belgian Championships. At certain moments I may have been disappointed that things didn't go even better, but in hindsight I've simply had a really good season."

That positive feeling wasn't significantly affected by her crash in the Baloise Ladies Tour. "My ribs still hurt a little, but it's manageable. I've been able to train exactly the way I wanted, so I don't expect it to hold me back during the Tour."

Heading to Lausanne with an open mind

The Tour de France Femmes will only be Tas' second WorldTour race, but she mainly approaches it with curiosity. "Of course there's some healthy nervousness. I expect the racing to be even faster and more intense than what I'm used to. Exactly how much faster, I don't know. I'm really looking forward to finding out." She is especially excited about the sprint stages and the individual time trial on day four. "There aren't really any pure sprint stages because even the flattest stages still include quite a bit of climbing. My biggest hope is simply to survive and be able to contest a sprint at this level. I'm also really looking forward to the time trial. I want to find out where I stand compared to the absolute best riders in the world."

Looking ahead to the final days of the race, Tas remains realistic. "I've never raced this many consecutive days before, so that will be something completely new for me. It also depends on how the race develops. I'll simply try to be ready every day whenever an opportunity presents itself."

Alongside her personal ambitions, Tas also has great confidence in the Intermarché-Lotto Ladies team. "I think we have a very well-balanced team. We have someone for every type of terrain. Everyone is highly motivated and eager to show their best. We may be one of the smaller teams, but the atmosphere is fantastic. Whenever one rider gets the opportunity, the rest of the team will fully commit themselves to supporting her. That gives us even more motivation." 

For Tas, her first Tour is ultimately all about gaining experience and discovering where her potential lies. "I'm going into it with an open mind. Above all, I want to discover what's possible for me in the future, both in the time trial and in the sprint. I'll give it everything I have, and then we'll see what comes out of it."

Photo: Wissem Jaubert