"I'm not as close as maybe I thought" - Paula Blasi admits she has 'homework' to do in order to aim for Tour de France Femmes win
CyclingTuesday, 11 August 2026 at 16:00
The Tour de France Femmes is a race with its own specificities and winning it is far from just having the legs on the key days. The nine-day provided a heap of physical and mental challenges for Paula Blasi, who admits she learned a lot about the race these past weeks and how demanding in can be in every way.
Blasi admits to be a level below Tour winner
"It's been a real roller coaster. There were days when things went badly, others that were a bit better," Blasi said in words to AS. "I think I really got back on terms on stage 6, but I suffered from the stress you live through in the bunch as well".
Already before the race, Blasi and UAE Team L'IMAD were swarmed with controversy. The 23-year old is likely to be leaving towards Movistar at the end of this season, breaking her contract with the team, and that has been heavily connected with her pre-Tour comments in which she said she was not one of the team's two leaders - those being Elisa Longo Borghini and Dominika Wlodarczyk.
Having won Amstel Gold Race Ladies, La Vuelta Femenina and two stage-races since the end of the Vuelta, it was seen as an incomprehensible decision, with the Spaniard not being afraid to talk about it either. The pressure on her and the team was evident, with daily questions falling on the team's shoulders with no easy answrs.
"It was my first Tour, and truth to tell, it's not like any other race. You have to get used to it," she admits. And in terms of speed, right from the first day of the race in Lausanne there were fireworks. From stage 4 onwards, the GC would begin to be shaped every single day, with no rest.
Paula Blasi was fifth at the Tour de France Femmes
Steep learning experience for UAE's super-talent
A time trial, two hilly days, Mont Ventoux, another sharp finish and the final mountain stage in Nice. The last two thirds of the Tour were a test of every rider's quality but also consistency and resistance under high pressure.
"Between the rider who turned up for stage 1 of the Tour and the one now there's a world of difference. From day 1, you're going all out, full gas. I was actually surprised by that, and I told myself - hey, what happened to all that preparation you had?"
Blasi had won La Vuelta just three months prior, and she was surprised with how high the pace was at the Tour. "I was suffering from day 1, and that was, in theory, the easiest stage. But then I realized positioning was fundamental. If you aren't in the right place and you're too far back, then you need to shift double the amount of watts. So that's something I've learned."
It was only her second Grand Tour, meaning it was a big learning experience, with a large amount of media and race protocols present on the daily. After months of dominating most races she was present in, it was a tough reminder of how high the level in professional cycling can be.
"I've realized I'm not as close as maybe I thought. When they attack, I was lacking that extra little percent or two it takes," the climber admits. "So I've got homework to do, and I hope to have done it in time for the next time's race."
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Blasi, through her consistent performances, climbed through the Top10 in the final decisive days. She climbed from 10th to 7th with a fifth place on Mont Ventoux; and then from 7th to 5th with a second place on the final stage to Nice.
When the climbs were the longest is where she performed the best. "I have to trust myself more, because when the high mountains come, the legs are there."
UAE Team L'IMAD won the team's classification so Blasi got to climb onto the podium in Nice, having also played a role in Elisa Longo Borghini's position on the third step of the final podium. "The minute things started getting hectic, people were losing their teammates and ending up isolated. I think having two riders up there was a big plus."
"It was my first Tour, all but my first year in the WorldTour so I don't think I can ask for much more. And I'm also getting more realistic. I wanted to show myself that the legs I had in the Vuelta could also count in the Tour, that it wasn't just a fluke," she concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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