On the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes with Zwift, the spotlight and the cameras will mostly be focused on a handful of champions, either destined for the final podium or already familiar with it. Behind the likes of Vollering, Niewiadoma, Kopecky, Van der Breggen, and Ferrand-Prévot, a number of riders have already begun to break through, achieving results that haven’t gone unnoticed by experts or by the very rivals they’ll be battling this summer. They may not be wearing yellow this year, but the official Tour website invites you to discover four women on their way up, each at a different stage of their rise, and each with the potential to shine briefly or lastingly somewhere between Brittany and the Alps. French rider Dilyxine Miermont, Dutch star Puck Pieterse, Mauritian talent Kim Le Court, and New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston have no intention of just making up the numbers.
Wollaston: “I’ve grown in ways that I could not have expected”
As the new armada FDJ-Suez sails the waters of professional cycling, Ally Wollaston has brought the French squad her unique set of skills honed in New Zealand’s velodromes and is now taking over on the road. A two-time world champion on the track and a two-time medalist at last year’s Paris Olympics, the 24-year-old continues to climb the ranks with five victories this year, including two at World Tour level. Her first experience in the Tour de France, in 2022, was a mixed one that ended far too quickly, but it still gave her “one of the best moments of [her] career”. Since then, Wollaston has stepped up every year. She now dreams of stage wins and the green jersey.
Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez)
Born on 4 January, 2001, in Auckland (New Zealand)
Team:
- 2021-2024: AG Insurance-Soudal
- 2025: FDJ-Suez
Key results:
- 2022: winner of the Grand Prix du Morbihan and stage 1 of the Belgium Tour
- 2023: winner of the Festival Elsy Jacobs
- 2024: 2-time track world champion, 2-time track silver medalist, stage winner in the Tour Down Under and the Volta a Catalunya (x2)
- 2025: winner of the Tour of Britain, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, Surf Coast Classic, Clasica de Almeria, stage 1 of the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées
Fun fact:
A versatile champion on the road and on the track, Ally Wollaston is also finalising her law studies at the University of Waikato. “It's only part-time, so I'm just doing two papers per semester now”, she explains. “And by the end of this year, I should have finished my degree, which is really exciting.” She probably won’t stop there: “I'm a firm believer in keeping the brain busy outside of cycling so I still want to do something once my degree is done, whether it's work or maybe a master’s.”
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I don’t categorise myself as a sprinter per se”
How do you explain your progress in 2025?
If you look over the last four years, every year, I've taken a step, and I think that's just what development is. First you win a 1.1 race, you go to a one day World Tour stage race, and then this year, a World Tour GC. I think every year you just strive for a little bit more. But for sure this year, changing teams, I think, has been a pretty big factor in my development - having a change of coach, a change of scenery, and being a part of a team that makes you better or makes you want to be better. I've been extremely inspired by the girls that we have in this team. Racing alongside some of the best in the world can only make you better as well.
If you had to describe your strong points…
The reason I think I signed with this team is because I'm a sprinter. I would say that one of my strongest points is my speed, which just naturally comes from the crossover from the track. But I don’t categorise myself as a sprinter per se, let’s say my sprint at the end of a really challenging race or my ability to get through a hard race. I don't actually particularly enjoy sprinting that much. It just so happens that I'm naturally quite good at it. But I'm not a huge fan of the bunch positioning in a chaotic final. I've tried to find ways around that and try to get a bigger endurance base and be able to challenge in more punchy days.
And your weaknesses?
I’d say positioning and confidence on the bike. I think this team has instilled a lot of confidence in me, but that also comes along with pressure, and I'm still learning to deal with that pressure and to believe in myself as much as the team believes in me. I find it hard to see myself winning against some of the best riders in the world. It's still a bit of a challenge for me. So I’m navigating that pressure and just trying to find confidence in myself. I know it's there. I just need to think a bit more. And coming from New Zealand, bunch positioning doesn't come naturally. We grow up with bunches of 5-10 girls or 10-20 girls. It's a lot easier to navigate. For me, that's always been one of my biggest challenges coming to Europe. I find it to be very helpful to be around strong girls. I feel very supported and I feel a lot of respect in the peloton for our team. So maybe that makes it a little bit easier to move around and stay together.
“The cycling culture within the French culture is so special”
It’s a French team, you’ve also had some career defining results in France… What’s your relationship with the country?
A lot stronger now that I'm in a French team, I would say. I've really enjoyed being a little bit more immersed in the French culture. Obviously, going from a Belgian-based team to a French team, it's really, really different. And coming from New Zealand, everything's different. We're so far removed from the rest of the world. So to come over and be embraced in such a passionate culture is really amazing. And I think the cycling culture within the French culture is so special and something that I've never experienced before. I've really, really enjoyed it, and I have a lot of respect for the French culture for sure.
The Tour is an icon of French culture. What does it represent for you?
To me, personally, everything. I think I've heard it a thousand times over in interviews, but the Tour de France is the biggest cycling race in the world. And coming from a country like New Zealand, where cycling is not a really popular sport, maybe it's growing, but it's definitely not rugby… So, yes, to be able to participate in a race that's so internationally recognised means everything. I can say to my friends: ‘Oh, I'm racing the Tour de France’, and it's the biggest thing ever. It's almost like the Olympics. It's such a special thing to be a part of. And I've missed it over the last few years with track commitment. So to race in the Tour de France would be just amazing. I think growing up as a young kid, you always associate cycling with the Tour de France, and to be on the start line means the world.
What would be the dream for you in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift?
Maybe it's a little bit unrealistic for me to say that I'd want to win the Tour de France… I think I'm just genetically not gifted in that way. A stage win in the Tour de France would be everything. The sprint jersey also would be something to look forward to in the future. But a stage win is definitely at the top of the list for sure.
