At the bottom of the Col de la Madeleine, Susanne Andersen knew that she would not make it to the end of the stage before the time cut in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. She was dropped – very dropped – from the very back of the splintered peloton, over an hour behind stage winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who had already begun celebrating on the top of the mountain. There was no reason for the Uno-X Mobility rider to battle on to the finish line, there was not even a slim possibility that she would crest the summit before the 45 minute marker that signified the cut-off point for the queen stage. But this is the Tour de France, and you fight for the Tour de France.
“I’ve been struggling already for a few days. I have inflammation in my left leg, so that is already giving me some problems in earlier stages, and I think everything was just adding up, and then my crash on top didn’t make it any better obviously,” Andersen told journalists a few moments after crossing the line as the final fans were beginning to trod back to the foot of the climb in La Chambre.
“I am just not able to push anymore like I really want to. I really tried my best, but this is just the maximum I could do at the moment.”
Image: Tornanti
The Norwegian rider was not angry, nor was she upset, but she was proud and honest. She had failed to finish the Tour de France Femmes, but this was beside the point. Andersen had made it to the top, she had fought demons and she had honoured the greatest bike race on the planet. Ferrand-Prévot had received the spotlights, the yellow jersey and the accolades an hour before her, but there was beauty in Andersen’s spirit.
“Already at the bottom I knew how far behind I was. Due to my own self respect but also to the team, and because we have a lot of people here from Norway, and I didn’t want to give up without giving it my all to the finish line and that’s what I tried to do,” she smiled ruefully.
It was the support of the French fans who had made it possible for Andersen to push herself to her limits and beyond. Every corner of the Col de la Madeleine was lined by spectators who enthusiastically encouraged their favourite riders to reach the summit. As the gradients kicked up, the fans shouted louder. This was all Andersen needed to make it.
Image: Tornanti
“It was definitely the best part of my day. I think they called me a champion, and they screamed courage. I don’t know a lot of French but I can understand this,” the 27-year-old said with glassy eyes as a soigneur wrapped a jacket around her shoulders. “That was definitely the highlight of the day, that people still support you and back up even though you’re not riding so fast. It’s lovely.
In the end, this is what the sport is about. There is more to it than just the podium places, the polka dot jersey, the green jersey, the maillot jaune. Every rider who makes it to the top of the mountain has their own story to tell and Andersen is proof of that. She is a reminder, as professional cycling moves further and further towards relying on data and numbers, that passion and love still bears weight. The Uno-X Mobility rider will not stand on the start line in Praz-sur-Arly on Sunday to begin the final stage, but she will – and should – still be proud of what she gave to this bike race. The Tour de France has a way of creating magic, even in the places you don’t expect.
Cover image: Getty
