Cyclist Heidi Van De Vijver did not believe she could win the Tour de France.
In 1992 I finished second in the Tour de France, after Leontien van Moorsel. Whoever is second can also win, you would say, but I didn’t believe it when I was at the start again one year later. At the time, the Tour de France for women was held with national teams. The very strong Leontien van Moorsel had a team full of top players. Everyone thought: it must be for the Dutch again.
Stage 1 was a prologue, with small time differences. In stage 2, to Rochester in Kent, England, I wanted to collect points for the mountains classification, because the polka dot jersey seemed like an achievable goal. I escaped uphill with a Russian. There was still 100 kilometers to the finish line, so the peloton gave up. A little later the Russian dropped onto a slope. I now had a two minute lead, and it was still 60 kilometers. What are you doing then? To persevere! The Dutch started to chase in the peloton, but the gap grew and grew. 3 minutes! Phew, the stage win was achieved. Only after the stage did I realize: I now have the yellow jersey with a big lead.
The Tour de France for women lasted ten stages. So I had to hold off the attacks of an unleashed Dutch team for more than a week. In principle, the difference in strength seemed enormous: the six riders of our Belgian teams were normally no match for the Dutch. But my teammates rose above themselves. They helped me tremendously, especially on the flat stages. Van Moorsel won three more stages, but she could no longer threaten me in the final classification.
Why that success? Until that Tour de France I lacked self-confidence. I subconsciously assumed that the others would be better. Only then did I realize that I could be just as good as the best, and that even the top riders suffer on the bike. Plus: I was incredibly strong that ride to Rochester. You only get a few days in your life when you can ride and keep riding: I’ve had that feeling about five times throughout my career. Then you have to be lucky enough to be at the top when it counts.
Director Marion Rousse: ‘A women’s Tour is no longer a curiosity’
