Marta Cavalli and Alpe d'Huez: a secret reconnaissance

The surprise effect worked great. So, when he looked up at the giant screen of the Palais des Congrès de Paris, Marta Cavalli recognized herself on Alpe d'Huez together with Evita Muzic. And at that point it was clear that in the big pot of Tour de France Women's cycling something important was boiling. The road that leads straight from Bourg d'Oisans into history will be the theater of the last stageIt will all end up there and who knows if starting next year on the various bends of the famous climb the names of the women who have managed to conquer it will begin to appear.

Marta is at home these days, having opted for a quick vacation like last year, basing herself within her own four walls.

«I decided not to leave – he smiles – because in the end, between one thing and another, I'm packing a suitcase and still unpacking another. So I said to myself: let's stay here, I'm enjoying my holidays at home. A couple of weekends away and in the end I like it that way too."

How did the Alpe d'Huez climb come about? How long had you known you'd go and do it?

We didn't know this with much notice. I went for a reconnaissance on October 13th and found out on the 10th.They told me: "Look, instead of leaving on October 14th for the Time Trial of Nations, leave on the 12th. You'll stop, do a reconnaissance and then join the team for the last race." They revealed it to us at the last minute and it wasn't exactly easy to organize either.Frejus is still closed to trains, so I had to make a journey of hope. But it was nice, because we had the opportunity to do a further reconnaissanceAnd then because the ASO guys really know what they're doing, even if they banned us from taking photos (the images in the article were taken from ASO's social media video, ed.).

Did you know this would be the last stage of the Tour?

No, we didn't know it would be the last stop. We only knew that Alpe d'Huez would be in the Tour de France., but they hadn't told us whether it would be an arrival or a passage, nor at what point in the race we would find it.

Was this your first time trying Alpe?

An absolute first. I've never climbed big mountains, I still have many to go. I miss the Mortirolo, I miss the Zoncolan. Ultimately, we race, we retreat, and it's never easy to find the time to go and see them. I've never done the Stelvio either, even though I've been going to Livigno for years and years.A future goal might be to add as many climbs to the list as I can.

Otherwise, when you say you're a climber, no one will believe it...

I really miss so many of them (smiles, ed.). I had done Alpe d'Huez a few times on Zwift during the lockdown, when they added it to the platform. Except that it's not even remotely comparable. What impressed me was the beginning.

Bad right away?

See the sign and you find yourself with 2 really tough, demanding kilometers that don't give you any respiteI can really imagine that in the race, when usually the start of the climbs is always very steep, that piece there could be if not decisive, certainly decisive in putting so much effort into the legs.

Did you climb it while still in good condition?

We did it calmly, because We didn't push too hard when we started filming, but the conditions were still good. I've got an idea, but it'll be a different story as to how the race goes and whether we'll arrive at the foot of the Alps in large numbers or not. If the race is going to be very tough, there will probably already be a small group at that point, Otherwise, having the team alongside you in the first two kilometers will be crucial. It's a climb that demands respect, but I don't think any particular technical choices will be necessary. At most you can put a 36x34 just to be safe, but it's not an extreme climbWe reach peaks of 15 percent, but with a 36x34 you can go on slopes up to 18 percent, so it will be enough.

Do you think the Tour will stay open until then and will be played for the whole day?

I'm not entirely sure. The penultimate stage, with the arrival in Le Grand Bornand, is also quite challenging. However, it must be said that this year the Tour has really worked hard to create a very tough route. The last stage features a 3.900-meter elevation gain, which is quite a lot. Considering the 150 kilometers, it will take more than 5 hours..

Do you have any memories of riders on Alpe d'Huez?

I actually have recent memories, for example when last year Pidcock won. I don't have any others, because when I was little I had trouble locating the climbs. In general, I've always watched cycling, but just to watch it and not with the aim of recognizing the various climbs.

Seven stages, almost 1.000 km

The Tour de France Femmes by Zwift 2024 will start from Holland. The second day will feature two stages: a road race and a time trial. Then the race will challenge the cotes of Liège, then arrive in France, with the last two stages in the AlpsA challenging route, with an immensely evocative finale on Alpe d'Huez.

How's your winter going? When does it start again?

I still have a rather quiet week, in which I will mainly go out with friendsThen we start slowly until December 9th, when we will go on retreat with the team for the classic 10 days in SpainWe'll do the team presentation as usual and then it'll be time to get started.

How are you?

I'm fine. I didn't want to give up completely, I tried to always stay quite active.I didn't feel as mentally and physically tired and worn out from the season as I had in previous years. So I tried to enjoy the bike with a different perspective. Physically I'm fine and I haven't felt the season particularly badly.Maybe because I've been a bit under par, I've never really felt at my best. This has helped me; I'm already in top form for next year.