The race bade farewell to Switzerland and entered France for the first time in this year’s edition of the Tour de France Femmes. Over 2,400 meters of elevation gain awaited the peloton, and the climbing started almost immediately with the Col de la Faucille, a category 1 climb of 11.6 kilometers and an average gradient of 6.3 percent. Some riders were on the backfoot once the peloton started climbing. Noemi, Cédrine, Mags, and Kristen were able to stay with the main bunch, but it was a tough day. Our squad missed a strong move with 20 kilometers to go. It took nine kilometers to bring it back, but by then the stage was all but decided. Noemi and Cédrine finished in the main bunch, where Noemi sprinted to finish sixth on the stage.

“It was quite a day. It was already a big group gone on the first climb. There was a breakaway that we missed, so we had to chase back, and then that last climb did some damage when Cédrine and I were out of position, so we had to chase back again. And then in the end we sprinted for third. I think we limited the loss and Cédrine stayed in a good GC position. But it was a tough day. Quite unpredictable.” - Noemi Rüegg

“Nothing went to plan, I would have to say.
 It was not as expected. I don't know if they went harder on the first climb or if the climbers just didn't have such good legs today, but the gap was too big, and that created a whole new dynamic in the race. We expected a much bigger group with a kind of a sprint finish, maybe the full peloton, but in the end, it was like a breakaway stage and pretty tough for everybody, I think. 


“For sure [the heat played a factor today]. I think not only today, but also the heat that they have felt in the previous two stages. I think that was also a factor. Because on the top of the first climb, the gaps between the groups were not that big. But then we went down to some kind of a valley kind of thing, and yeah, everybody was just cooking, so I think that played a factor.

“Tomorrow, we have a TT, so I think that is kind of like a rest day for many riders. Of course, for the GC riders and the TT specialists it’s another tough day. But after all, it's a short one. I think after tomorrow, the race will be pretty reset again.” - Daniel Foder, sports director

Stage three was always going to be a challenging one with four categorized climbs on the menu, but the wild card today was the heat. Noemi’s Wahoo recorded a maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius. With the peloton racing for over four hours in the relentless sun, that means our squad grabbed cold bidons, Amacx ice gels, and ice socks from the feed zones and the team car every chance they had.

Racing the Tour de France Femmes alongside some of your closest friends is a lifelong dream for any cyclist but the icing on the cake for Nina was getting to celebrate her 25th birthday at the race. Her teammates ambushed her on the bus with gifts and serenaded her before arriving at the team presentation where the crowd sang “Happy birthday” to her. The festivities continued when her mom and friends from Luxembourg surprised Nina at the finish line bearing a cake. Nina’s response to the attention was measured and subdued in true Nina-style but we have it on good authority that she’s been loving it all.

Owen was not about to miss a chance to make one of his sought-after birthday cakes. For Nina, he whipped up a lime and pistachio cake. The citrus is in the cake, the filling, and the drizzle, providing a burst of fresh flavor while balancing the savory notes of the pistachio. While this cake levels up any birthday celebration, it’s so good that it deserves a celebration all its own.

This recipe will comfortably make a 22–24 cm round cake, or a slightly shallower 28 cm cake. It can also be served as individual cakes.

Lime & Pistachio Cake

Ingredients

210 g unsalted butter, softened

175 g caster sugar (or 140 g caster + 35 g icing sugar)

3½ large eggs (use 4 small eggs or 3 large eggs plus 1 yolk)

Zest of 3 limes

210 g plain flour

70 g ground pistachios

56 g ground almonds

1¾ tsp baking powder

⅓ tsp fine salt

125 g Greek yogurt

1½ tsp vanilla extract

Lime Ricotta Filling

Ingredients

350 g ricotta

140 g mascarpone

56 g icing sugar

Zest of 1½–2 limes

1½ tbsp lime juice

¾ tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Pistachio Butter & Lime Drizzle

Ingredients

105 g pistachio butter

35 g melted butter

50 g icing sugar

Juice of 1½ limes

Zest of 1 lime

Pinch of flaky sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C fan. Grease and line your cake tin.

Cream butter, sugar and lime zest until light and fluffy (3–5 minutes).

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Whisk together the flour, ground pistachios, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into the batter, alternating with the Greek yogurt and vanilla. Mix only until combined.

Pour into the tin, level the top and bake for 40–50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Cool for 10–15 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(Optional) Brush with the lime syrup while still slightly warm.

Whisk together the ricotta, mascarpone, icing sugar, lime zest, lime juice, vanilla and salt until smooth. Chill.

Slice the cooled cake horizontally and spread with the ricotta filling.

Whisk the pistachio butter, melted butter, icing sugar, lime juice, zest and salt into a pourable drizzle.

Spoon the drizzle over the cake and finish with chopped roasted pistachios, fresh lime zest and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Chill for 30 minutes before serving for cleaner slices.

Add some candles and enjoy!

One word you hear at the Tour often is meilleure. It’s the French word for best, so the Tour, the pinnacle of racing, is a natural environment for it. This morning our squad was honored as the meilleure équipe on stage two. Each rider received a medal and the team took home a glass trophy to commemorate our achievement. While we love having some hardware from the Tour, we’ve got our sights on even bigger goals down the road.