Shari Bossuyt has returned to the Tour de France Femmes, two
years after a doping suspension turned her life, and her career, upside down.
The 24-year-old Belgian, now riding for AG Insurance - Soudal, is making the
most of her second chance. In the opening days of the 2025 Tour, she’s already
posted top-10 finishes on stages 3 and 4, showing not just fitness but
determination to reclaim her place in the peloton.
Her last race before the ban was Paris-Roubaix Femmes in
April 2023. Days later, she tested positive for Letrozole, a banned hormone, in
an anti-doping control. Bossuyt has consistently denied intentional use,
attributing the result to contamination. But the ban stood, sidelining her
during what should have been the early years of her career. “It was hard, eh,”
she said honestly. “One year ago, I looked and I saw the Tour de France was
exactly one month after my return, so that was a big dream to train for it.”
That dream is now real. Bossuyt’s comeback has been anything
but rusty, it’s been competitive. Alongside her Tour results, she placed inside
the top 10 at both the Belgian national road race and time trial championships
earlier this summer. The results suggest a rider still building race fitness,
but already close to her former level. “I think I’m missing a little bit of
race fitness, so I think only every day can be better,” she told Cycling Weekly.
How does it feel to be back in the bunch? “Oh, really good,”
she said with a smile. “I’m really happy to be back, to be actually riding the
Tour de France. It’s incredible… I only dreamed of it.”
The path back hasn’t been just physical. In a social media
post from January, Bossuyt opened up about the toll of being labeled. “No one
seems to realise what an impact this has on someone's mental health,” she
wrote. “Having to walk around every day with the 'stamp' of a doper, it's
almost unbearable.” It’s a sentence that reveals the weight she’s carried, one
that doesn’t disappear just because her ban is over.
“It was a really hard time, but it was the situation,” she
said, accepting what happened but refusing to be defined by it. Bossuyt isn’t
asking for forgiveness, she’s asking to be seen for the rider she still is. At
the Tour, she’s letting her legs speak first and then the fans can make their
judgement.
And now? “I’m looking forward, not back anymore.”
Read also
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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