"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
Cycling
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."
Read also
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You are wrong, they are already working on his new tt position. And yes, Trump does love you 😂👍🏼awp01-11-2026
- The Erola Jons incident was not isolated. She felt she could do that because that's how everyone treats Tadej. Remember when he said "If I say wait 2 mins do you show the middle finger and walk off angry?" about the supposed fan who did exactly that? There's nothing wrong with the nurses and doctors asking him to give autographs... but do the surgery first
Rafionain-Glas01-11-2026 - Perhaps he has what Mark Cavendish had, the Epstein-Barr Virus. It caused him severe and unexplained chronic fatigue. I hope he gets better.
parisbound0001-11-2026 - How can medical staff act like that? pretty disgraceful! the guys down and they're near seeing him off ;/
leedorney01-11-2026 - I think that this is exactly what Jonas needs at this point in his career. It's something that could revive his passion for winning, and he's physically more than capable of winning one of those races as well.
santiagobenites01-11-2026 - What a great race! Couldn't look away. Can't wait for the eurosRafionain-Glas01-11-2026
- I think other competitors also had great Tours, so it wasn't that Ferrand-Prévot necessarily failed in some way - it's more likely that the other top riders lifted their game and maybe also a bit of luck with no crashes, etc. It's the Tour de France after all. It's not meant to be easy to defend your title (the few exceptions like Pogacar prove the rule).Pogboom01-11-2026
- maybe we should put our cv at the end of each comment post ... same rights for all of us!Ketterechts01-11-2026
- hahah literally all it is. Glad im not the only one noticing, essentially this is just a blog as it is now. Run buy boys from their bedroom hehe Their very subjective aswell, people on twitter even said their pure visma fanboys, if you listen to Ruben silva guy pre TDF this year all he said turned out to be wrong and constantly fail to realize visma isnt where they was before roster wice or means to contest even RBH or Lidl anymore, ,very biased ppl and when you run ''news articles that way its problematic..miguel01-11-2026
- The new joke of the year in 2027: "If both guys (Pogi and Seixas) finish upright on their bikes and both don't get sick for some reason, I think Paul will fight Tadej to the end and will possibly beat him in 2027 at the Tour, yes, I just said that." ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...PogiSloFans01-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments